Democracy or “democradura”? The chronicle of political party financing in the post-dictatorship era of the gambia

This study investigated the impact of political party financing on the quality of democracy in The Gambia’s post-dictatorship era. Specifically, it examined the influence of sources of financing on democracy in Gambia, assessed the influence of transparency and accountability on democracy in Gambia, and evaluated the influence of regulatory framework on democracy in Gambia. The study adopted a mixed-method, ex-post facto research design to assess how party finance affects democracy. Findings demonstrate that internal sources of party financing—such as voluntary contributions, party launching events, and membership fees—are significantly and positively associated with democracy. These results were reinforced by qualitative insights that underscored grassroots, diaspora, and digital fundraising as dominant and legitimate financial practices. Moreover, transparency and accountability mechanisms, particularly public financial disclosure and audit compliance, are found to significantly predict democratic outcomes. However, limited public access to finance information and weak enforcement diminishes their practical effectiveness. In addition, while the overall regulatory framework explains a substantial 75.7% of the variance in democracy, only oversight institutions and transparency requirements are statistically significant. Both statistical and qualitative evidence show that enforcement procedures and sanctions were largely ineffective. The study concludes that internal and transparent finance methods bolster democratic involvement, but deficiencies in enforcement and regulatory capability jeopardise electoral integrity and political accountability. Therefore, it recommends strengthening legal enforcement, empowering oversight institutions, and promoting civic engagement and digital transparency to support democratic consolidation in The Gambia.