democracy
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As The Gambia approaches its 2026 presidential election, the country finds itself at a critical juncture in its post-authoritarian political trajectory. Nearly a decade after the peaceful removal of long-time ruler Yahya Jammeh, the election is less about the novelty of democratic change and more about whether democratic norms have become sufficiently institutionalized to endure
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When Gambians swept Adama Barrow into office in 2016, ending Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year authoritarian rule, the country became an unexpected symbol of democratic possibility in West Africa. The world applauded the peaceful transition, the courage of voters, and the insistence – by regional bodies and Gambian civil society alike – that the will of the
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The Gambia’s dramatic political transition in 2016 was more than a change of government; it was a collective sigh of relief from a nation that had held its breath for 22 years. It was a promise. A promise of a new dawn, of accountability, and of a democracy that would truly serve its people. Yet,
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The sudden withdrawal of Talib Bensouda from the United Democratic Party’s (UDP) flagbearer race—and his resignation as the party’s National Organizing Secretary—has sent shockwaves through Gambian politics. This isn’t just another internal party dispute; it is a symptom of deeper structural challenges within the UDP and, by extension, The Gambia’s fragile democracy. As the country
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BANJUL, The Gambia—In a small nation celebrated for its 2016 democratic revolution, a crisis is unfolding within the United Democratic Party (UDP), The Gambia’s largest opposition force. As the 2026 presidential election approaches, the UDP—once a symbol of resistance against dictatorship—is tearing itself apart over an agonizing question: Should 76-year-old leader Ousainou Darboe, a five-time presidential
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BANJUL, The Gambia—Last March, Gambians witnessed a quiet assault on their democracy. As parliament debated a critical elections bill, it erased a Supreme Court-backed guarantee of diaspora voting rights. Now, tens of thousands of citizens abroad—whose remittances fuel 20% of the economy—face an impossible choice: financial ruin or democratic exile. They must now spend exorbitant
The Civic Scribe: Articles & Poems 