Governance, Protest, and Presidential Terms in the Gambia
Abstract
In December 2016, The Gambia democratically removed its 22-year dictator and elected Adama Barrow as president. Barrow campaigned on a promise to be a transitional president who would restore democracy to The Gambia. He agreed to a limited term of three years and not run for re-election. However, once in office, Barrow, who no longer considered himself a transitional president, claimed that the constitution gave him a five-year term. Barrow's refusal to abide by the agreement created a movement calling for his resignation. This thesis examined protest and governance through the lens of presidential terms using the structural-cognitive model (SCM) to synthesize protest theory and governance. By dissecting the elements into macro and micro variables, this answered the question, "Why have political protests over efforts to extend a presidential term occurred in The Gambia despite the election of a new president?" The rule of law was violated by the two presidents and is shown to be the governance variable responsible for many protests in Gambia. Citizens continued their protest - they feared a return of dictatorship - as Barrow's government remained flawed on critical rule of law. The policy recommendations centered on creating adequate checks and balances to correct the rule of law issues.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1164891
Entities
People
- Lashaundra S. Collins
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School