List of heads of state of the Gambia

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

№	Monarch (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Reign			Royal House	Prime Minister
			Reign start	Reign end	Time in Office
1	Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022)		18 February 1965	24 April 1970	5 years, 66 days	Windsor	Jawara

Governor-General

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. 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.

Status

  Denotes Chief Justice acting as Officer Administering the Government

№	Governor-General (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Tenure			Monarch	Prime Minister
			Took office	Left office	Time in Office
1	Sir John Paul(1916–2004)		18 February 1965	9 February 1966	356 days	Elizabeth II	Jawara
2	Sir Farimang Mamadi Singateh(1912–1977)		9 February 1966	24 April 1970	4 years 75 days	Elizabeth II	Jawara

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.

Status

№	President (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Tenure			Elected	Political affiliation (at time of appointment)
			Took office	Left office	Time in Office
1	Sir Dawda Jawara (1924–2019)		24 April 1970	22 July 1994 (deposed.)	32 years, 40 days	1972 1977 1982 1987 1992		People's Progressive Party
2	Kukoi Sanyang (1952 – 2013)		30 July 1981	5 August 1981				chairman National Revolutionary Council, in rebellion
3	Sir Dawda Jawara (1924–2019)		5 August 1981	22 July 1994	12 years, 351 days	1982 1987 1992		People's Progressive Party

Colonel Yahya Jammeh led a coup d'état which overthrew President Jawara and his government, all political parties and Parliament were dissolved.

№	Head of State (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Tenure			Military
			Took office	Left office	Time in Office
4	Colonel Yahya Jammeh(1965–)		22 July 1994	18 October 1996	2 years, 86 days		Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council

Under the current constitution of the Republic of The Gambia, the President is executive head of state. The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy, the Vice-President will serve as Acting President.

Status

№	President (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Tenure			Elected	Political affiliation (at time of appointment)
			Took office	Left office	Time in Office
(5)	Yahya Jammeh(1965–)		18 October 1996	19 January 2017	20 years, 76 days	1996 2001 2006 2011		Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction
6	Adama Barrow(1965–)		19 January 2017[2]	Incumbent	7 years, 121 days	2016		United Democratic Party

• 
  Governor-General's Standard
• 
  Presidential Standard

There are two living former Gambian Heads of State:

Image	Name	Term/Reign	Office	Date of birth
	Yahya Jammeh	1994–1996 1996–2017	Military ruler President of The Gambia	(1965-05-25) 25 May 1965

1. "Top 15 Highest Paid African Presidents 2017". 15 December 2016. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
2. Presidency was in dispute from 19–21 January 2017.

• World Statesmen – The Gambia
• Rulers.org – The Gambia