Gambian President Yahya Jammeh Refuse To Step Down After Losing Election

Gambian president Yahya Jammeh announced Friday on state television he is calling the presidential elections of December 1 as void and is not accepting the results. He has urged for repoll too.

Jammeh seized power in 1994 in a bloodless coup and has survived several attempts to remove him. Ahead of the election he talked about stepping down if fails to win a 2016 elections.

Investigations into the elections reveal a string of serious errors on the part of electoral authorities. Jammeh said he would not concede to opponent Adama Barrow.

The results reveal opponent Barrow has won the presidential elections by about 46 percent vote and Jammeh could manage to get about 37 percent vote. The remaining vote was in favor of third party candidate Mama Kandeh.

Gambia is a country in West Africa and mostly bordered by Senegal. About one-third of the Gambians live below international poverty line of $1.25 per day. The country’s economy mostly depends on farming, fishing and tourism.

Gambia was a British colony and gained independence from United Kingdom on 18 February 1965. Leader Dawda Jawara ruled the country from 1970 to 1994 and thereafter Yahya Jammeh has been in power.

Banjul is the capital city of Gambia and it was earlier known as Bathurst. It is now the destination of a charity road rally called the Plymouth-Banjul Challenge.