People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism

People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism
People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism
Leader	Halifa Sallah
Founder	Sidia Jatta
Founded	31 July 1986
Headquarters	Serekunda
Newspaper	Foroyaa
Ideology	Socialism
Political position	Left-wing
Colours	Brown
Slogan	"Liberty, Dignity and Prosperity"
National Assembly	2 / 58
Website
	www.pdois.org
	Politics of Gambia; Political parties; Elections;

The People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) is a socialist political party in the Gambia. Since 2005, it has been part of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD). It was part of Coalition 2016 in the 2016 presidential election, whose candidate, Adama Barrow, defeated long-time incumbent Yahya Jammeh. The PDOIS also publishes a party newspaper, Foroyaa, which was noted for its opposition to the Jammeh regime.

History

The party was founded on 31 July 1986. It emerged from an earlier group, the People's Movement for Independence against Neo-Colonialism and Capitalism in The Gambia (PMINCC), whose members included Halifa Sallah, Sam Sarr, Amie Sillah, Adama Bah and Momodou Sarho. The PMINCC were also believed to be the publishers of the newspaper The Voice of the Future, and six members were put on trial for its publication in 1984, although all were acquitted.

Initially, the PDOIS had no official leader until December 1997, when Sidia Jatta was chosen as its first leader. It began publishing its own newspaper, Foroyaa, in July 1987, where it was critical of the pro-Western foreign policy of Dawda Jawara, and opposed the Senegambia Confederation. In 1987, it put forward five candidates in the parliamentary election, but all were defeated. In 1992, it put forward 14 candidates, but again, all were defeated. Jatta stood in the presidential election that year, and came fourth, winning 5.24% of the vote. The PDOIS was not banned following the 1994 coup by Yahya Jammeh as it did not publicly denounce it, but both Jatta and Sallah turned down the cabinet posts they were offered.

Jatta won 3% of the vote in the 1996 and 2001 presidential elections. In the 1997 parliamentary election, Jatta won their first seat in the National Assembly of Wuli West. In 2002, Jatta retained the seat and Sallah additionally won the seat of Serekunda Central. From 2002 to 2007, PDOIS was the largest opposition party in the National Assembly, and Sallah served as Leader of the Opposition. In 2005, the PDOIS joined the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD), and Sallah was selected as the NADD candidate in the 2006 presidential election, but only won 6% of the vote. In the 2007 parliamentary election, NADD only won one seat, Jatta's, with Sallah losing his.^[1]

Leadership

The party is led by a Central Committee, which is the highest working body of the party. It is composed of the following positions:

Chairperson – Sidia Jatta
Vice Chairperson
Secretary General – Halifa Sallah
Secretary to the Political Bureau
Secretary to the Information Bureau – Sam Sarr
Secretary to the Organizing Bureau
Secretary to the Bureau on Women and Child Affairs – Amie Sillah
Secretary to the Youth Bureau
Treasurer
Auditor
Other members as the party Congress determines

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Election	Party candidate	Votes	%	Result
1992	Sidia Jatta	10,543	5.24%	Lost N
1996		11,337	2.87%	Lost N
2001		13,841	3.02%	Lost N
2006	Halifa Sallah	23,473	5.98%	Lost N
2011^[a]	Hamat Bah	73,060	11.11%	Lost N
2016^[b]	Adama Barrow	227,708	43.29%	Won Y
2021	Halifa Sallah	32,435	3.77%	Lost N

^ Supported NRP candidate.
^ Supported Adama Barrow as independent candidate for Coalition 2016.

National Assembly elections

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Government
1987	Sidia Jatta	2,069	0.98%	0 / 53	New	5th	Extra-parliamentary
1992		4,632	2.31%	0 / 53	0	5th	Extra-parliamentary
1997		24,272	7.88%	1 / 49	1	4th	Opposition
2002				2 / 53	1	3rd	Opposition
2007^[a]		13,990	5.31%	1 / 53	1	3rd	Opposition
2012		Election boycotted		0 / 53	1		Extra-parliamentary
2017		33,894	8.94%	4 / 58	4	5th	Opposition
2022		24,683	5.01%	2 / 58	2	4th	Opposition