By Omar Bah
A recent Afrobarometer survey has revealed that The Gambia’s democracy is sliding back significantly, with citizens expressing growing dissatisfaction with governance, rising corruption and weakening democratic institutions.
In 2018, the survey recorded that 62% of Gambians said they are satisfied with the country’s democratic gains and progress, but in the recent survey, released recently, the number has gone down to 49 percent, representing a significant 13 percent drop.
It also revealed that 92 percent of Gambians say they are against one man rule, 89 percent say they don’t want one party rule while 65 percent say they prefer democratic rule to any other rule, including military rule.
The survey further highlighted declining public trust in key democratic processes and government performance, signaling a worrying reversal from earlier democratic gains.
It points to persistent challenges such as ineffective constitutional reforms, corruption and limited citizen engagement that threaten the country’s democratic stability.
