Wherever you go in the Gambia, you will find people in the streets chattering about the presidential election surrounded by an air of excitement. Gambians call this chatter ‘gisgis’ and it is all about politics these days. On 4 December 2021, Gambians went to the polls. The first elections without the former 22 year-long president Yahya Jammeh contesting passed peacefully. His successor Adama Barrow, elected in 2016 quite surprisingly, was confirmed in power. With that, the Gambia passed a litmus test: having decided for continuity in times of change, Gambians send a strong signal of democratic practice to the region.
Author: Omar Bah
Omar Bah ist assoziieter Forscher bei der HSFK und im Projekt "Lokale Wahrnehmungen regionaler Interventionen: AU und ECOWAS in Burkina Faso und Gambia" tätig. Darüber hinaus ist er Dozent für Politikwissenschaft an der Universität von Gambia. Sein Hauptforschungsinteresse gilt den Themen Sicherheit, Konflikt und Politik in der ECOWAS-Region. // Omar Bah is associate fellow at PRIF and researcher in the project “Local perceptions of regional interventions: AU and ECOWAS in Burkina Faso and The Gambia”. Besides that, he is political science lecturer at the University of The Gambia. His main research interest focuses on topics of security, conflict and politics in the ECOWAS region.