Gambia’s shock presidential victor Barrow hails new era

BANJUL, Gambia: Opposition candidate Adama Barrow hailed a ‘new Gambia’ Friday after he pulled off a stunning presidential election victory, putting an end to the 22-year rule of Yahya Jammeh.

Jammeh — who has been frequently accused over the years of suppressing his opponents — conceded defeat on television, accepting that Gambians had ‘decided that I should take the backseat’.

Official results earlier showed Barrow, a businessman and political unknown until six months ago, comfortably winning Thursday’s poll with 45.54 per cent, capping a remarkable rise to prominence.

Jammeh took 212,099 votes (36.66 per cent) and third party candidate Mama Kandeh 102,969 votes (17.80 per cent), the Independent Electoral Commission said.

Gambians took to the streets to celebrate the biggest upset in the west African nation since Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup.

In Westfield, a district near the capital, teenagers piled on top of cars, taking selfies and strumming guitars, while others waved flags coloured the grey of the opposition coalition.

In his first comments afterward, Barrow acknowledged the nation’s huge shift.

“It’s time for work. It’s a new Gambia,” he said.

Barrow was chosen as the opposition flag bearer by a group of political parties who joined forces for the first time and won unprecedented popular support. — AFP

a man waves a dambian flag as he stands by a dambian soldiers while he celebrates the victory of dambia’s opposition candidate adama Barrow during the mresidential elections in perekundaK — acm photo

pupporters of president-elect adama Barrow celebrate Barrow’s election victory in Banjul, dambiaK — Reuters photo