(JollofNews) – Gambia’s president-elect Adama Barrow today called on President Yahya Jammeh to respect the will of the Gambian people and handover power in January.
Mr Barrow said Mr Jammeh does not have any power under Gambian law to nullify any election results or to order for fresh elections in the country after his defeat.
He said his administration is opening up a channel of communication to try to convince Mr Jammeh to facilitate a smooth transfer of executive powers in the supreme interest of the Gambia.
Tension is high in the Gambia and security officers are put on stand-by after Mr Jammeh told state television GRTS on Friday that he has rejected the totality of the December 1st election results and called for fresh elections.
Mr Jammeh, 51, who has ruled the Gambia since July 1994 had initially conceded defeat and praised the country’s electoral system as “the most transparent election in the whole world,” adding that he would not contest the result.
Final results by the electoral commission said Mr Barrow secured 227, 708 votes representing 43 per cent of the general votes while Mr Jammeh secured 208, 487 votes representing 40 per cent of the votes.
But Mr Jammeh later accused the electoral commission of committing serious errors which undermined the outcome of the final results.
Addressing the nation, Mr Barrow said: “Fellow citizens and friends of the Gambia I wish to take this opportunity as president-elect to allay your fears and concerns.
On the first day of December the Gambia held presidential elections. On the second day of December the results were declared according to law.
The incumbent candidate called me to congratulate me for my victory. The outgoing president told me in a simple clear language that the results were the verdict of people and god.
The gesture was applauded both at home and abroad. The Gambia earned a respectable place in the international community and everybody applauded the action of the outgoing president. This earned the outgoing president and my humble self as incoming president a place in the Gambia and world history.
Yesterday the outgoing president issued a statement on the national media to reject the results of the election. He declared it as invalid and promised to hold fresh elections.
I wish to inform you that the outgoing president has no constitutional authority to reject the results of the election and order for fresh elections to held.
The IEC is the only competent authority to announce the results of election and to declare a winner. It has already done so and I am now the president-elect. President Jammeh is the outgoing president. He is to handover executive powers to me when his term expires in January.
I wish to call on all Gambians to go about their business. We have impressed the world for delivering a free, fair and credible elections. I am advising supporters of the coalition to celebrate the victory with discipline and prepare themselves for the inaugurations in January after the end of term of the outgoing president.
In the interim, I open up a channel of communication to try to convince him to facilitate a smooth transfer of executive powers in the supreme interest of this country.
I told him in our telephone conversation that we were both born in 1965. We are the children of the independence and it would be a honour to have the smooth transfer of executive power for the first time in the history done by two citizens who were born in the year th Gambia became independent.
I would want him to join me as president of the Second Republic along with ex-president Jawara of the First Republic in January to commemorate the birth of the third republic when I assumed office.
Let him know that leaders come and go. Sooner of later, I must also go. This a fact that all of us act all times in the supreme interest of the Gambia.
I urge him to change his current position and accept the verdict of the people in good faith for the sake of the Gambia our homeland whose people deserve to live in peace, freedom and prosperity.”
As a tourist and admirer of the country .it sadans me to see the political issues still accuring in gambia capital banjul. I have recently returned from gambia and applaud the effort of the gambian people to stand up to change . These people deserve change and new government in power
. I will be returning to gambia on the 15th of January with my family to enjoy the climate and amazing people . I hope the current president will respect all the gambian and stand down quietly and admit defeat
. It’s time for change after a dominating 22 years . So Mr president do the right thing for your people and amazing country.
Thanks, I do belive the Gambia constitution it’s all we need do have this quistion resolved and have a second round of elections
there no need to contest the result has both candidates none of then got 50% plus one vote to won the elections
the Gambia constituting part 3 number 3 it’s clear that if no candidate has more than 50% of votes casted there should be a new election even if it it was the only candidate has none of them have more than 50% it’s clear that it’s should be a new elections
I do like all of you people to go and read the Gambia constitution notwithstanding that there may be only one candidate
nominated for election.
(2) Where a nominated candidate dies between nomination day
and polling day, the Independent Electoral Commission
shall appoint a new nomination day and, if necessary, a
new day or days for the election.
(3) No person shall be elected as President on a first ballot
unless the votes cast in his or her favour at the election are
more than fifty per cent of the total number of votes validly
cast at that election.
(4) If, on a first ballot, there was only one candidate and he or
she fails to obtain the percentage of the votes validly cast as
specified in subsection (3), new nomination and election
days shall be appointed, if, at the close of nominations for a
second ballot,
(a) there is only one candidate nominated, he or she
shall be declared to have been duly elected
President,
(b) there are more than one candidate nominated, a
second ballot shall be held.
(5) If, on the first ballot, there were two or more candidates, a
second ballot shall be held within fourteen days between
the two candidates who received the highest number of
votes validly cast at the first ballot. In the event that more
than two candidates received equally the highest number or
second highest number of votes, all of them shall
participate in the second ballot.
(6) On a second ballot, the candidate, who receives the highest
number of votes shall be declared to have been duly elected
President.
Challenge to 49. Any registered political party which has participated in the
election of a President Presidential election or an independent candidate who has
participated in such an election may apply to the Supreme Court to
determine the validity of the election of a President by filling a
petition within ten days of the declaration of the result of the
election.
Luis felix