In Gambia, the main division in local government is between rural and urban local government. There are three tiers of local government; village development committees (1,500), wards (114) and councils (8). The council members are elected through the wards who all elect one member for a period of four years, mayors are elected directly. The most recent local elections were held in 2008 with the next elections planned to take place in 2013 following presidential (2011) and parliamentary (2012) elections. International organizations are supporting and urging Gambia to create optimal conditions for these elections and increase the role of women in the electoral process.
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The Local Government Act 2002, which is based on Chapter 193 of the 1997 constitution, provides for roles and functions and the conduct of local government in the Gambia. Specifically on the position of local governments from and towards central government who manages decentralization through the Ministry of Local Government and Lands. The focus of local government in Gambia is primarily on poverty alleviation structured through the Strategy for Poverty Alleviation (SPA) II. Additional legislation has been created to support the Local Government Act, for example the Finance and Audit Act of 2004. These main legislative pieces allow villages to play a pivotal part in creating and executing local development policy. The ward and councils perform a controlling and facilitating role in managing infrastructure, resources and guard the financial side of local government policy.
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Although the legislative infrastructure is adequate, the practical implementation of further decentralization lags behind due to lack of capacity, training and effective cooperation between different layers of government. Projects such as the Training on Local Government Act try to solve these problems. The Gambia Association of Local Government Authorities (GALGA) plays a central role in the execution of these projects, protecting and strengthening the position of local government throughout Gambia in cooperation with the national government.
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