Photo credit: Gainako
4. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh Loses Election to Opposition Chief
After 22 years of reign, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh finally suffered a surprise defeat in a closely contested presidential election December 2. Jammeh lost to the opposition’s Adama Barrow, a real estate developer and former security officer in the United Kingdom.
Although he initially conceded to Barrow, who won 45.5 percent of the vote, President Jammeh has since rejected the election results and called for fresh elections, citing “serious and unacceptable abnormalities.”
Jammeh’s sudden change of heart has been widely condemned, with regional and international observers fearing that the Gambia, which hasn’t had a peaceful transfer of power since independence in 1965, may plunge in to civil war.
The African Union recently sent a delegation of African leaders to the West African country to convince President Jammeh to hand over power.
