Heads of State of the Gambia

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.

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

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. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931, 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.

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.

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