Gambian longtime dictator has lost the country’s December, 1st 2016 Presidential elections to Adama Barrow, a Real Estate businessman, who was backed by seven opposition parties. Mr. Barrow captured 43.9% of the total votes cast, whilst incumbent dictator Jammeh got 40.4% votes.
He once said he would rule for “a billion years,” .
Gambia’s electoral commission announced that President Yahya Jammeh had lost the popular vote by more than 60,000 and would shortly address the nation to acknowledge his challenger’s victory.
Mama Kandeh, of The Gambia Democratic Congress Party GDC got 15.7% votes.
Dictator Jammeh, who was seeking a fifth term mandate grossly under-performed in key racing regions. Mr. Jammeh is yet to concede defeat.
The Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission Alieu Momarr Njai said in a statement concession would be unprecedented in Gambia’s post-independence history, offering the possibility for the first smooth transfer of power since 1965. Alieu is expected to officially announce Adama Barrow as the winner of the elections in coming hours.
Neither Mr. Jammeh nor Gambia’s powerful army command had officially commented, but in the capital, Banjul, supporters of opposition leader Adama Barrow took to the streets in celebration.
Mr. Jammeh came to power in July of 1994, through in a coup. Jammeh has been ruling The Gambia with an iron fist. Shortly after the electoral commission’s statement was released, Gambia’s internet and international telephone lines—cut by the government ahead of Thursday’s poll—were switched back on.
Although the opposition appeared to have momentum, Mr. Jammeh had refused to allow European Union observers to monitor the vote and predicted he would win by a landslide. Jammeh lost the elections partly due to one of his party members Mama Kandeh, Mr. Kandeh was expelled from the APRC. He later set up a party to oppose Jammeh in the Presidential elections. Mr. Kandeh’s support base came from Jammeh’s party. Jammeh’s supporters defected to Kandeh’s GDC.
Africa Team