CAPE TOWN, December 6 (ANA) – The Gambia’s President Adama Barrow received about 53% of Saturday’s presidential elections, while his nearest rival, lawyer Ousainou Darboe, amassed 28% of the vote.
Saturday’s vote, which saw long queues snaking around voting stations, was the West African country’s first democratic election since former president Yahya Jammeh was voted out of office in 2016.
The country’s electoral commission reported the final results on Sunday. United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Darboe won 238,253 votes, compared with the incumbent’s 457,519.
The total number of votes cast came in at 859,567 – fewer than the more than 962,000 who had registered to vote, the electoral commission said.
According to BBC News Africa, in the last election, Barrow defeated Yahya Jammeh, who now lives in exile after refusing to accept the result.
Jammeh’s 22-year rule was marked by allegations of abuse and corruption, according to local media.
According to online news publication The Guardian, Saturday’s vote is seen as a key test of political stability as it was the first in more than 27 years without Jammeh as a candidate.
International media covering the election in the tiny West African country reported that crowds of Barrow’s supporters marched through the streets of the capital Banjul, while the president-elect received a standing ovation when he addressed them.
Burrow told supporters to respect those who voted for his opponents in a “free, fair and transparent election”, news broadcaster Al Jazeera reported.
– African News Agency