2016 Gambian presidential election
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Registered | 886,578 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 59.34% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The Gambia portal |
Presidential elections were held in The Gambia on 1 December 2016.[1] In a surprise result, opposition candidate Adama Barrow defeated long-term incumbent Yahya Jammeh.[2][3] The election marked the first change of presidency in The Gambia since a military coup in 1994, and the first transfer of power by popular election since independence from the United Kingdom in 1965.[2]
On 2 December, before the final results were announced, Jammeh graciously conceded defeat, shocking a populace that had expected him to retain power.
Initially, Jammeh conceded and congratulated Barrow. However, on 9 December Jammeh announced that he was rejecting the results and called for a new election, sparking a
Finally, on 21 January, Jammeh left the Gambia for an ECOWAS-arranged exile, allowing the transition of power to take place.[5] According to the Senegalese government and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, during the dispute around 45,000 people fled to Senegal and at least another 800 people fled to Guinea-Bissau.[6]
Background
The incumbent president, Yahya Jammeh, took power in a
Electoral system
The President of the Gambia is elected in one round by plurality vote for a five-year term.[10]
Instead of using paper
Candidates and campaigns
The
- The candidate for the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), Mama Kandeh, was accepted on 7 November 2016.
- The candidate for Coalition 2016[citation needed], Adama Barrow, was accepted on 10 November.
- Incumbent President Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Reconstruction(APRC) was accepted on 10 November 2016.
A
Two other political parties—the
The two-week period of the official election campaigns was peaceful, and it included many large rallies by both Jammeh's supporters and opposition parties.[19]
However, before the election, concerns had been raised about the government cracking down on the political opposition and using state resources and its domination of mass media to influence the outcome.[19]
President Jammeh had said that protests after the election would not be tolerated, saying "In this country we don't allow demonstrations."
Adama Barrow, a real estate businessman who had not previously held any political office, said that, if elected, he would set up a temporary transition government formed of members from the opposition coalition and would step down from the presidency within three years.[2][21]
Barrow referred to Jammeh as a "soulless dictator", and said that if elected, he would reverse some of Jammeh's key actions, including Jammeh's decisions for The Gambia to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Nations and from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.[2][7] He also said he would establish a two-term limit for the office of the presidency and conduct judicial reform, emphasising an independent judiciary.[22] Barrow said he wanted to "put aside all party, tribal, religious, gender and other differences" to "unify a divided nation" and "promote and consolidate Democracy, Rule of Law, Good Governance and respect for the Human Rights of our people".[16]
The only recognised opposition party not in the coalition, the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), fielded its own candidate—Mama Kandeh, a former deputy of the APRC ruling party who had been expelled by the APRC.[13] The GDC was The Gambia's youngest political party.[23] It was formed in the summer of 2016 by Kandeh along with some other former key members and supporters of the APRC.[23] It had gained some popular support and was involved in some of the early discussions that led to the formation of the coalition, but the negotiations broke down about its position in the alliance and the attitude of some members of the other parties toward the GDC, so it did not join.[23] Some members of other opposition groups accused the GDC and its backers of trying to divide the opposition voting constituency so that Jammeh would win.[23]
Results
Jammeh conceded to Barrow on 2 December before the results were released.[2] Jammeh called and congratulated Barrow on his victory, saying "you are elected president of The Gambia, and I wish you all the best", and adding "I have no ill will."[3] He also proposed to arrange to meet with Barrow toward organising the transition process for his new presidency.[2] On state television he said he would "take the backseat" and not contest the results, further saying "I will help him work towards the transition."[4] BBC News said the outcome was a "huge surprise", as most had expected Jammeh would do whatever was necessary to retain power.[2]
After the election commission released ballot results on 2 December,[2] it reported modified results on 5 December, saying there had been an error in the counting. The modified results showed a smaller lead for Barrow (reducing the margin of victory from 8.8% to 3.7%) and a 9.1% lower number of total votes cast.[24]
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Adama Barrow | Coalition 2016 | 227,708 | 43.29 | |
Yahya Jammeh | Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction | 208,487 | 39.64 | |
Mama Kandeh | Gambia Democratic Congress | 89,768 | 17.07 | |
Total | 525,963 | 100.00 | ||
Valid votes | 525,963 | 99.97 | ||
Invalid/blank votes | 165 | 0.03 | ||
Total votes | 526,128 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 886,578 | 59.34 | ||
Source: IEC |
By constituency
Constituency | Adama Barrow Coalition 2016 |
Yahya Jammeh APRC |
Mama Kandeh GDC | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |
Banjul | 6,639 | 50 | 5,704 | 42 | 1,028 | 8 |
Kanifing | 56,107 | 50 | 44,873 | 40 | 11,127 | 10 |
West Coast
|
74,823 | 43 | 76,880 | 44 | 21,656 | 13 |
North Bank | 23,346 | 37 | 18,316 | 29 | 22,039 | 34 |
Lower River | 16,476 | 56 | 7,996 | 27 | 5,048 | 17 |
Central River | 22,215 | 32 | 30,228 | 43 | 17,581 | 25 |
Upper River | 28,102 | 44 | 24,490 | 38 | 11,289 | 18 |
Source: IEC |
Aftermath
Following the announcement of the results of the elections, opposition supporters widely celebrated the surprise victory and were stunned by Jammeh's concession of defeat.[8] Thousands of people celebrated in the streets of Banjul, the capital city.[22] However, some expressed caution about what Jammeh might do next—suggesting that he could still try to retain power despite what had happened. A businessman said, "I will only believe it when I see him leaving state house. He still controls the army, and his family are the top brass."[8]
The fear that Jammeh would try to cling to power proved well-founded when, on 9 December, Jammeh appeared on
References
- ^ "Global elections calendar". National Democratic Institute. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Gambia's Jammeh loses presidential election to Adama Barrow in shock election result". BBC News. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ Yahoo News. Associated Press. Archived from the originalon 4 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ a b c "Gambia's Adama Barrow says shock win heralds 'new hope'". BBC News. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ a b BBC News (21 January 2016). "Ex-President Yahya Jammeh leaves The Gambia after losing election". BBC News. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ Baloch, Babar (20 January 2017). "Senegal: Around 45,000 have fled political uncertainty in The Gambia". Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ a b c Keating, Joshua (2 December 2016). "Finally, a Victory for Democracy in 2016". Slate. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ a b c Farge, Emma (3 December 2016). "Surprise winner of Gambia poll eyes new cabinet, reforms". Reuters. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ "Jammeh announces cure for breast cancer, others". The Point. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ "IFES ElectionGuide: Nov. 24, 2011 Republic of The Gambia Election for President". International Foundation for Electoral Systems. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ "Gambia election: Voters use marbles to choose president". BBC News. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ "Candidate List". Independent Electoral Commission of The Gambia. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
- ^ a b Petesch, Carley (1 December 2016). "Gambia ruler predicts landslide; internet blocked amid vote". The Republic. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Gambia 2016: Police Calls For Calm Ahead of Voting". JollofNews. 26 April 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ "Resignation of Mr. Adama Barrow as Member of United Democratic Party (UDP)". Independent Electoral Commission of The Gambia. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ a b Barrow, Adama (25 November 2016). "Gambia 2016: Adama Barrow: My Vision And Mission". JollofNews. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "Two Dormant Opposition Parties Struck Off in Gambia". JollofNews. 30 November 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ "Gambia: Breaking News: A Coalition Of Gambian Opposition Parties To Unseat Jammeh From Power To Be Announced Today At A News Conference!". Freedom Newspaper. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Gambia: Free Speech Ban Threatens Rights in Vote Aftermath". Human Rights Watch. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ Maclean, Ruth; Graham-Harrison, Emma (1 December 2016). "The Gambia bans international calls and internet as voters go to polls". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- Yahoo News. Reuters. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ a b Chantzaras, Dimitras (6 December 2016). "Gambia president-elect Adama Barrow talks to Al Jazeera". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d Phatey, Sam (17 October 2016). "Is the GDC being pilloried by other opposition groups, surrogates?". SMBC News. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ "The Total of Final Election Results". Independent Electoral Commission of The Gambia. 5 December 2016. Archived from the original on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 December 2016.