The Gambia is a small West African country, known for its diverse ecosystems around the central Gambia River, for the most part it is safe to visit, and you can see the beaches along its small Atlantic coastline. This month the long awaited elections in the Gambia was watched as a test of polling for we are making critical analysis of how Africans are beginning to look at democracy, some five ex presidents were watching for fair play during the electoral process. Adama Barrow was declared presidential election winner with 53% of the vote count and his nearest rival Ousainou Darboe got 28%, the vote is being seen as a test for democracy in the country.
Addressing supporters during a victory speech in the capital Banjul, Mr Barrow called for unity between the country’s political factions.
“I call on all Gambians, irrespective of your political divide, to put aside our political and other differences come together as one people to work towards the development of our country”, he said.
Adama Barrow is a happy man, even his supporters are very happy, all Gambians are in jubilation, he has polled the heart-strings of his audience and while he is in office ethnicity will pack and leave.
The validity of results are questioned by some but this cannot be the case, it is something to put aside and look ahead to future as the five heads of state who had been presidents and had watched the polling and voting say he won free and fair. Even though there was delay in the processes, delay does not mean malpractice because the 54 constituents are tallied, reported to the electoral commission, to clear doubts of the people who were wondering about the counting of the votes as all of the records were clean and accounted for.
EISA stands for electoral institute for sustainable democracy in Africa, it is a not for profit organization established in 1996 based in Johannesburg (South Africa) with field offices across the continent. EISA strives to achieve its vision and mission through innovative and trust-based partnerships throughout the African continent and beyond, their services have continued to be sought after by national, sub-regional and continental partners. It has a vision of Africa where democratic governance, human rights and citizen participation are upheld peacefully. EISA promotes credible elections that encourage massive participation and strengthens political institutions for sustainable democracy in Africa.
