The Gambia - 2016 Election
Longtime strongman Yahya Jammeh lost Gambia's December 2016 presidential election to businessman and political newcomer Adama Barrow. Jammeh had held onto power since he staged a 1994 military coup that ousted Dawda Jawara, who himself had been president since 1970, just five years after the country's independence from Britain.
Jammeh, who had previously said that with the will of God he could rule for a billion years, had been accused by rights groups of abuses, including killing political opponents and clamping down on journalists and gays. During his reign he swung the country in an Islamic direction, declaring the country an Islamic Republic in 2015.
Jammeh's personality is mercurial -- he can be charming, as he is on the campaign trail, but he can also be ruthless and spiteful, arresting critics from the media and opposition politicians, and firing Ministers and other civil servants for questioning or embarrassing him. He is prone to hyperbole and bravado in his speeches and often makes outlandish remarks such as saying that some coup d'etats are good and that the Gambian people will have to wait at least 30 years before he turns over power.
He was eager to be perceived as an African statesman, but pursued that goal through pomp, pageantry and excess, rather than through substantive achievements. He had no appreciation of the concept of separation of powers and wields his power relentlessly over most branches and agencies of the Gambian government. He had no qualms about asking civil servants to join the APRC and to campaign for him. He had little regard for the Gambian constitution except when he wanted to change it to suit his needs.
Prior to the 2016 presidential election, seven political parties and an independent candidate formed the Coalition 2016, backing Adama Barrow, a former deputy treasurer of the United Democratic Party (UDP), as an independent candidate. President Barrow won the single round presidential election with 43.3 per cent of the votes, against 39.6 for the then incumbent President Jammeh of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC). Mamma Kandeh, of the newly formed Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), received 17 per cent of the votes. President Jammeh initially accepted but subsequently rejected the election results.
Nearly 50 protesters were arrested in April and May 2016, including Ousainu Darboe, leader of the opposition UDP party, and at least 18 other senior members. Two died during their detention. On April 14 and April 16, 2016, a group of opposition members and sympathizers carried out a peaceful demonstration that was violently put down by the government. Several individuals were arrested and at least one opposition member reportedly died while in police custody. Approximately 38 protesters were arraigned before the Banjul High Court on seven counts, including conspiracy, rioting, and incitement of violence. As of late April, the arrested protesters remained in police custody.
Gambian authorities refused the European Union access to observe the 2016 election, raising doubts about how free and fair it will be, although Jammeh promised a credible process. African Union observers were admitted. Eight opposition parties rallied behind businessman Adama Barrow in a bid to end Jammeh's 22-year rule, which activists and diplomats said had been marred by human rights abuses and torture, claims the president's supporters deny.
Gambians voted 01 December 2016 in a presidential election where incumbent Yahya Jammeh, in power since 1994 and criticized for widespread human rights abuses, was running for a fifth consecutive term. About 880,000 Gambians were eligible to vote when more than 1,400 polling stations open. The winner will serve a five-year term. Two candidates, Adama Barrow, the candidate for a coalition of seven opposition political parties, and Mamma Kandeh, of the Gambia Democratic Congress party (GDC), are challenging Jammeh.
The European Union was denied coming into the country to observe the election. Likewise, the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) were not coming to observe the election. It’s only local observers who are totally under intimidation and supervision of the government.
Jammeh denied accusations of rigging the election. He had said his victory is all but assured with divine intervention and had warned the opposition against protesting. “Our election system is fraud-proof, rig-proof, you cannot rig our elections,” he said. Jammeh warned that even peaceful protests will not be permitted after the election.
The head of Gambia's electoral commission said 02 December 2016 that President Yahya Jammeh would concede defeat in the country's presidential election. The announcement came from commission chair Alieu Momarr Njai, who told reporters in Banjul that it's "very unique" that Jammeh would accept defeat after ruling the country for so long. Jammeh, 51, had ruled the tiny West African nation since taking power in a military coup in 1994.
A little known businessman, the 51-year-old political newcomer Adama Barrow was picked by a group of political parties to head the opposition ticket under his United Democratic Party. The electoral commission said Barrow received 263,000 votes to Jammeh's 212,000, giving him a five year mandate in the poor country of some 890,000 people. Mama Kandeh, a third candidate of the only opposition party not to join Barrow's coalition, got 102,969 votes.
Owner of his own estate agency, Barrow was employed at The Gambia's largest property rental firm, and lived in Britain for three and a half years when he was younger. His time in Britain saw him work as a security guard in London, where he developed a love for Arsenal Football Club. A husband to two wives and father of five, he is a self-confessed workaholic, with football one of his few known distractions. "I work 12, 13, 14 hours a day," said the devout Muslim, insisting his faith guides every step of his life, as well as his politics. "If you are a religious man it always influences you," he told AFP in an interview.
Long-time President Yahya Jammeh reversed course and said 09 December 2016 that he would not accept his defeat in the 01 December 2016 elections due to irregularities. Gambia's leader of some 22 years, Jammeh announced that he would no longer accept defeat in the elections, plunging the West African country into turmoil with a demand for fresh polls. Jammeh's surprise reversal was certain to spark outrage among the tens of thousands who took to the streets after Adama Barrow was announced the president-elect in the vote, shouting "Freedom!"
Gambian security forces deployed en masse on 10 December 2016 as President-elect Adama Barrow appealed for calm. The African Union called for security forces to remain neutral. Soldiers were in the streets of the capital, Banjul, as Gambians closed down shops in fear of unrest. Gambia's president-elect said that the outgoing leader who now rejected his defeat had no constitutional authority to invalidate voting results or call for another election, and called on Jammeh to facilitate a smooth transition in the interest of the country.
Barrow said the Independent Electoral Commission is the only competent authority to declare a winner. "It has already done so and I am the president-elect," Barrow said. "President Jammeh is the outgoing president. He is to hand over executive powers to me when his term expires in January."
West Africa's regional bloc threatened to use force in Gambia if the country's longtime leader does not step down in January as scheduled, following his loss in presidential elections. The chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Marcel de Souza, told reporters 23 December 2016 that the bloc had a standby force. "The deadline is January 19, when the mandate of [President Yahya] Jammeh expires,'' de Souza said. "If he doesn't go, we have a standby force, which is already on alert." He said the force should be able to intervene "to restore the will of the people." ECOWAS had chosen Senegal to lead any military operation. Senegal, which geographically surrounds Gambia on three sides, had previously said that military action would be a last resort.
Gambia's electoral commission chairman fled the country 02 January 2017 after he received threats having declared President Yahya Jammeh the loser of the Dec. 1 election. Teranga FM, which translates news from Gambian papers into local languages, was ordered shut by national security officers on 01 January 2017 for unspecified reasons. Teranga FM was taken off the air four times in recent years, and its managing director was charged with sedition in 2015 and remained imprisoned since then. A second station near the capital, Hilltop radio, was also reportedly closed.
Yahya Jammeh and his ruling Alliance for Patriotism, Reconciliation and Construction (APRC) were defeated and forced to step down after 22 years in power. The Gambia celebrated President Adama Barrow's inauguration on 18 February 2017. Tens of thousands of Gambians turned up for the ceremony, including several West African leaders.
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