Gambia’s President, Yahya Jammeh has rejected the results of the December 1 elections and called for conduct of fresh polls, one week after he conceded defeat.
“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 in a statement broadcast on state television.
“Let me repeat: I will not accept the results based on what has happened”, he added.
Jammeh, who described the polls as “the most dubious election we ever had”, pointed to an accounting error which awarded victory to his opponent, Adama Barrow.
Latest official figures gave Barrow 43.29 percent of the votes in the presidential election, while Jammeh took 39.64 percent. The turnout was at 59 percent.
“This is the most dubious election we ever had in the history of this country.
“We will go back to the polls because I want to make sure every Gambian votes under an electoral commission that is impartial, independent, neutral and free from foreign influence”, he said.
Jammeh has been in power for 22 years.
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