was held on 4 May 1982, months after a constitutional amendment instituting direct election of the country's head of state. Dibba was defeated by incumbent President Dawda Jawara. He ran again as the NCP presidential candidate in 1987 and 1992, placing second to Jawara both times. Following the overthrow of the Jawara government in 1994, the NCP and other political parties were banned. The ban on the NCP was lifted in mid-2001 and Dibba contested the election held on 18 October of that year. He was defeated by incumbent President Yahya Jammeh and placed fourth out of five candidates, winning 3.8% of the vote. Dibba then gave his support to Jammeh and his party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction, and after the legislative elections of January 2002, he was elected Speaker of the National Assembly at the first meeting of the new legislature on 3 February. In April 2006, Dibba was arrested for nine days and dismissed as speaker; he was allegedly linked to the coup attempt against Jammeh in the previous month. Dibba himself was over 65 years old by this time and was therefore not eligible to run. Nevertheless, after his release, he reaffirmed his loyalty to President Jammeh. He later retired from politics prior to his death. He died from a heart attack at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH) in Banjul on the morning of 2 June 2008, at the age of 71, after being hospitalized on 30 May. References Vice-presidents of the Gambia Finance ministers of the Gambia Speakers of the National Assembly of the Gambia 1937 births 2008 deaths National Convention Party (Gambia) politicians Alumni of Armitage High School People from North Bank Division People of Mandinka descent Prisoners and detainees of the Gambia