At stake in this election:

• 48 seats in the National Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Yahya A. J. J JAMMEH
• Head of Government: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH
• Assembly: Gambia, The has a unicameral National Assembly with 53 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by plurality vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the National Assembly, 48 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms and 5 members are appointed by the president to serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC)
  • Leader: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH
  • Seats won in last election: 42
• Party: National Reconciliation Party**
  • Leader: Hamet BAH
  • Seats won in last election: 0

** The Gambia Moral Congress (GMC), Gambia Party for Development and Progress (GPDP), National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD), People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS), People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and United Democratic Party (UDP) have announced they are boycotting the election.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 1,807,108 (2012)
• Registered Voters: 796,929 (March 2012)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 912,374 (2012)

·         Is the Gambia a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (29 July 1980)

·         Has The Gambia ratified CEDAW: Yes (16 April 1993)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 4 (following the 2012 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 175 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is The Gambia a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has The Gambia ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (6 July 2015)

·         Population with a disability: 271,066 (est.)