Gambian president makes U-turn, rejects election results

GAMBIAN President, Yahya Jammeh, announced late Friday he would no longer accept defeat in the nation’s recent elections, demanding for fresh polls.

“Investigations into the December 1 vote have revealed a string of ‘unacceptable errors’ on the part of electoral authorities,” Jammeh said in a speech broadcast on state television, adding that he would no longer concede to his opponent, Adama Barrow.

“In the same way that I accepted the results faithfully believing that the Independent Electoral Commission was independent,   honest and reliable, I hereby reject the results in totality,” he said.

“Let me repeat: I will not accept the results based on what has happened,” he added, warning Gambians not to take to the streets to protest his decision.

Soldiers were seen placing sandbags in strategic locations across the capital, Banjul, on Friday, a development which triggered widespread unease among the already-spooked population, who had been panic-buying food before the vote due to fear of unrest.

On December 2, Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, made a concession speech on television and promised — to general surprise — a peaceful and swift handover of power to president-elect Barrow, sparking celebrations in the country.

Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) has described as ‘null and void’ the decision by Jammeh to overturn results of the presidential polls.

The AU, in a statement released hours after Jammeh’s declaration, said, “the chairperson of the commission reaffirms the imperative for the concerned stakeholders to strictly comply with the rule of law and the respect of the will of their people as clearly expressed during the 1 December presidential elections.”

The AU, which urged Jammeh to facilitate peaceful transfer of power to Adama Barrow,  also asked the security and defence agencies to remain strictly neutral.