Gambia's Jammeh rejects election results

AFP, BANJUL, Gambia: Gambia’s leader of some 22 years Yahya Jammeh announced late Friday he would no longer accept defeat in recent elections, plunging the West African country into turmoil with a demand for fresh polls.Investigations into the December 1 vote have revealed a string of “unacceptable errors” on the part of electoral authorities, Jammeh said in a speech broadcast on state television, adding that he would no longer concede to opponent Adama Barrow. “In the same way that I accepted the results faithfully believing that the Independent Electoral Commission was independent and honest and reliable, I hereby reject the results in totality,” he said.
“Let me repeat: I will not accept the results based on what has happened,” he added, warning Gambians not to take to the streets to protest his decision. Soldiers were seen placing sandbags in strategic locations across the capital Banjul Friday, a development which triggered widespread unease among the already-spooked population, who had been panic-buying food before the vote due to fear of unrest.
As the military deployed onto the streets of the tiny nation, the US Embassy in Banjul urged the army to continue to show “respect for the rule of law and the outcome of the presidential election.”

 

Gambias Jammeh rejects election results

AFP, BANJUL, Gambia: Gambias leader of some 22 years Yahya Jammeh announced late Friday he would no longer accept defeat in recent elections, plunging the West African country into turmoil with a demand for fresh polls.Investigations into the December 1 vote have revealed a string of unacceptable errors on the part of electoral authorities, Jammeh said in a speech broadcast on state television, adding that he would no longer concede to opponent Adama Barrow. In the same way that I accepted the results faithfully believing that the Independent Electoral Commission was independent and honest and reliable, I hereby reject the results in totality, he said. Let me repeat: I will not accept the results based on what has happened, he added, warning Gambians not to take to the streets to protest his decision. Soldiers were seen placing sandbags in strategic locations across the capital Banjul Friday, a development which triggered widespread unease among the already-spooked population, who had been panic-buying food before the vote due to fear of unrest. As the military deployed onto the streets of the tiny nation, the US Embassy in Banjul urged the army to continue to show respect for the rule of law and the outcome of the presidential election.