Youth and protest: how “#Gambia” ended decades of autocratic rule

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines the unexpected collapse of the authoritarian regime in The Gambia following a peaceful election after twenty-two years in power. The study rejects the conventional view that African authoritarian leaders are unremovable through protests and the peaceful electoral process. Drawing on Bunce and Wolchik’s model, this study utilizes semi-structured interviews to explain how youth movements and established opposition parties strategized to decisively impact the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Despite the incumbent’s institutional and procedural advantages, that election “worked” in this context. However, the youths’ ability to encourage the fragmented opposition parties to unite and the youths’ campaign to persuade the electorate to vote against Jammeh contributed to this success. Those efforts are contrasted with previous elections in which Jammeh successfully undermined the free electoral process. No single cause brought about Jammeh’s defeat, but many factors, including the united efforts of older and young people, impacted this outcome.