By Omar Bah
Gambia is ranked 85th out of 142 countries regarding adherence to the rule of law, according to the latest global Rule of Law Index released by the World Justice Project (WJP).
The 2023 index released on Wednesday in Washington DC, United States, also showed that out of the 34 countries in the sub-Saharan region, The Gambia is rated 9th. According to the WJP report, countries were judged on eight indicators: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice.
The report noted that Gambia’s score increased by 3 points. It added that most countries’ rule of law has eroded again this year. “This is the sixth consecutive Index marking global declines in the rule of law. This year alone, the rule of law declined in 59 percent of countries surveyed. However, Gambia is among the minority countries to see its Rule of Law Index score increase this year,” the report stated.
Globally, the top-ranked country in the 2023 WJP Rule of Law Index is Denmark, followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany
The country with the lowest score is Venezuela, trailed by Cambodia, Afghanistan, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Regarding the absence of corruption, Gambia was ranked 67th out of 142 countries globally and 6th out of 34 countries in the region. This indicator’s performance was the best for Gambia in any of the indicators in Africa, followed by constraints on government powers, ranked 57th globally and 8th in Africa.
WJP stated that 74 percent of the countries failed in constraint on government, specifically in terms of some institutions’ ability to check the executive’s excess. “Over the past seven years, index scores for constraints on government powers have fallen in 74% of countries—including Nigeria. Around the world, legislatures, judiciaries, and civil society—including the media—have all lost ground on checking executive power. “These and other authoritarian trends continued in 2023 but are slowing, with fewer countries declining in 2022 and 2023 than in earlier years. Constraints on Government Powers fell in 56 percent of countries, compared to 58 percent in 2022 and 70 percent in 2021. Likewise, a smaller majority of countries saw the overall rule of law decline this year (59 percent) as compared to the last two (61 percent and 74 percent),” WJP stated.
Co-founder and President of WJP, William Neukom, explained that “the world remains gripped by a rule of law recession characterized by executive overreach, curtailing of human rights, and justice systems failing to meet people’s needs.”
