Until the military took over The Gambia’s government in a bloodless coup in 1994, the country was governed by a 1970 constitution. Under military President Yahya Jammeh, a new constitution was approved by public referendum in August 1996 and came into effect in January 1997. Under this constitution a popularly elected president serves as head of state for a five-year term. The president may serve an unlimited number of terms. The country’s legislative body is the unicameral National Assembly. Forty-five of the legislature’s forty-nine members are popularly elected to five-year terms; the other four are appointed by the president.