Brstjjy

The Gambia
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the Gambia
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Executive President (list) Adama Barrow Vice-President Ousainou Darboe Cabinet
Legislative National Assembly Speaker: Abdoulie Bojang
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This is a list of the heads of state of The Gambia, from the independence of The Gambia in 1965 to the present day.

From 1965 to 1970 the head of state under the Gambia Independence Act 1964 was the Queen of The Gambia, Elizabeth II, who was also the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen was represented in The Gambia by a Governor-General. The Gambia became a republic in 1970 and the Monarch and Governor-General were replaced by an executive President.

Monarch (1965–1970)

The succession to the throne was the same as the succession to the British throne.

№	Monarch (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Reign			Royal House	Prime Minister
			Reign start	Reign end	Time in Office
1	Queen Elizabeth II (1926–)		18 February 1965	24 April 1970	5 years, 66 days	Windsor	Jawara

Governor-General

The Governor-General was the representative of the Monarch in The Gambia and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The Governor-General was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the Monarch. The Governor-General was appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of The Gambia without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the Chief Justice served as Officer Administering the Government.

Status

№	Governor-General (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Tenure			Monarch	Prime Minister
			Took office	Left office	Time in Office
1	Sir John Paul (1916–2004)		18 February 1965	9 February 1966	356 days	Elizabeth II	Jawara
2	Sir Farimang Mamadi Singateh (1912–1977)		9 February 1966	24 April 1970	4 years 75 days	Elizabeth II	Jawara

First Republic (1970–1994)

Under the 1970 Constitution, the first constitution of the Republic of The Gambia, the President replaced the Monarch as executive head of state. The President was elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy the Vice-President served as Acting President.

Status

№	President (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Tenure			Elected	Political affiliation (at time of appointment)
			Took office	Left office	Time in Office
1	Sir Dawda Jawara (1924–)		24 April 1970	22 July 1994 (deposed.)	32 years, 40 days	1972 1977 1982 1987 1992		People's Progressive Party

Military rule (1994–1996)

Colonel Yahya Jammeh led a coup d'état which overthrew President Jawara and his government, all political parties and Parliament were dissolved.

№	Head of State (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Tenure			Military
			Took office	Left office	Time in Office
2	Colonel Yahya Jammeh (1965–)		22 July 1994	18 October 1996	2 years, 86 days		Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council

Second Republic (1996–present)

Under the current constitution of the Republic of The Gambia, the President is executive head of state. The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy, the Vice-President will serve as Acting President.

Status

№	President (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Tenure			Elected	Political affiliation (at time of appointment)
			Took office	Left office	Time in Office
(2)	Yahya Jammeh (1965–)		18 October 1996	21 January 2017	20 years, 94 days	1996 2001 2006 2011		Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction
3	Adama Barrow (1965–)		19 January 2017[1]	Incumbent	1 year, 226 days	2016		United Democratic Party

Standards

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  Governor-General's Standard
  

  
  

  
  


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  Presidential Standard
  

  
  

  
  

Living former heads of state

There are three living former Gambian Heads of State:

Image	Name	Term/Reign	Office	Date of birth
	Elizabeth II	1965–1970	Queen of The Gambia	(1926-04-21) 21 April 1926 (age 92)
	Sir Dawda Jawara	1970–1994	President of The Gambia	(1924-05-16) 16 May 1924 (age 94)
	Yahya Jammeh	1994–1996 1996–2017	Military ruler President of The Gambia	(1965-05-25) 25 May 1965 (age 53)

Notes

External links

• World Statesmen – The Gambia


• Rulers.org – The Gambia