Gambia: Jammeh wins 72%, AU observers pleased, but opponent cries foul
Gambian incumbent President Yahaya Jammeh has won a landslide victory in Thursday’s election, getting a fourth term in office. But the main opposition leader has said the poll was not fair, while some international observers have given thumbs up to the conduct of the polls.
Releasing the final results Friday evening, the electoral commission Chairman Mustapha Carayol declared the Gambian leader winner, with 72 percent of the votes.
Jammeh’s two challengers—Osainou Darbo got 17%, while Hamat Bah won 11%.
Huge celebration has followed the announcement of the results, but the main opposition leader Darbo has expressed dissatisfaction. Jammeh has been in power for 17 years.
But WADR’s Special Reporter in Banjul says African Union and Commonwealth election observers have generally hailed the conduct of Thursday’s polls.
He quoted the head of the AU mission, Dr. Fonkam Samuel as saying, the November 24 Gambian poll is “one of the best elections held in West Africa.”
But the sub-regional bloc in West Africa, ECOWAS on the eve of the election announced it was not sending observers to the Gambia because the environment was not conducive, claiming that there was intimidation of the opposition and that the polls would not be free, fair and transparent.
WADR’s Frank Sainworla speaks with Journalist Amadou Manga of UNIQUE FM in the Gambian capital, Banjul, as large crowds of Jammeh’s supporters jubilated in the streets.
Click audio below to listen
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