Adama Barrow Re-Elected President of Gambia

Banjul, Gambia —(Map)

Adama Barrow has been re-elected as president of Gambia. Though two other candidates say they’ll challenge the results, people watching the voting say the election was fair. It was the country’s first election without long-time dictator Yahya Jammeh.

With 2.4 million people, Gambia is the smallest country on the continent of Africa. Roughly 87% of Gambia’s voters took part in Saturday’s election for president.

Adama Barrow has been re-elected as president of Gambia. Roughly 87% of Gambia’s voters took part in Saturday’s election for president. Above, people wait to vote in Banjul, the capital.

The election results were announced on Sunday. The current president, 56-year-old Adama Barrow, won with 53% of the vote. His nearest challenger was Oussainou Darboe, who took about 28% of the vote. Mr. Darboe, 73, is a lawyer who was once a political adviser to Mr. Barrow.

The election was seen as an important test for the country. It’s the first election since 2016, when Mr. Barrow defeated longtime leader Yahya Jammeh. Mr. Jammeh was a dictator who ruled the country harshly for 22 years. He left the country when he lost the election in 2016. Mr. Jammeh is now in Equatorial Guinea, but he is still trying to influence the election from there.

The election results were announced on Sunday. The current president, 56-year-old Adama Barrow, won with 53% of the vote. His nearest challenger was Oussainou Darboe, who took about 28% of the vote. Above, Mr. Barrow waves to his supporters on Sunday.

Mr. Barrow has strong support in the country. He’s respected for his efforts to undo some of the most harmful things done by Mr. Jammeh. Gambia is a country with many different tribes. Mr. Barrow has encouraged the tribes to work together instead of against each other.

Still, not everyone is happy with the job Mr. Barrow has done. Many people are upset that prices have gone up. Others weren’t happy that he served his full five-year term instead of stepping down after just three years as he had promised.

Mr. Barrow has also been criticized for not doing more to punish Mr. Jammeh and those who worked with him. A long investigation into the actions of Mr. Jammeh has just been released.

In spite of Mr. Barrow’s huge lead, three opposing candidates said they would challenge the results. Mr. Darboe was joined by Mama Kandeh and Essa Mbye Faal in saying that they would not accept the results. The politicians didn’t name any specific problems, but complained about delays in reporting results. Later, Mr. Faal changed his mind and congratulated Mr. Barrow on his victory.

In spite of Mr. Barrow’s huge lead, three opposing candidates – Mr. Darboe, Mama Kandeh, and Essa Mbye Faal – said they would challenge the results. Later, Mr. Faal changed his mind. Above, Mr. Darboe after voting on Saturday.

Hundreds of supporters of Mr. Darboe protested outside the capital, Banjul on Monday. Police used tear gas to break up the crowd after the protesters began fighting with supporters of Mr. Barrow. Earlier in the day, Mr. Darboe had told his supporters, “This country is a peaceful country and I don’t want to see any violent behavior from anyone.”

Election observers from the African Union and the European Union say the election was held fairly.

Gambia has a special system of voting. When a person goes to vote in Gambia, they are given a marble. There are large jars with pictures of the candidates, painted with the political party’s colors. The voter places the marble in the jar of the candidate they choose.

Gambia has a special system of voting. When a person goes to vote in Gambia, they are given a marble. There are large jars with pictures of the candidates, painted with the political party’s  colors. The voter places the marble in the jar of the candidate they choose.

Later, the votes are counted by putting the marbles from the jars onto special boards with holes for the marbles. Each board normally holds 100 or 200 marbles.

The votes are counted by putting the marbles from the jars onto special boards with holes for the marbles. Each board normally holds 100 or 200 marbles.