Adama Barrow was proclaimed the winner of the presidential election in The Gambia with 53% of the vote, according to the results of the electoral commission. The consolidation of democracy is the main lesson of the ballot in this small West African country marked by more than twenty years of dictatorship.
A record participation
Adama Barrow is back on for a second presidential term and that’s no big surprise. For many Gambians, his name is associated with the end of the dictatorship. He was the one who defeated autocratic President Yahya Jammeh in 2016, paving the way for democracy. And it is he who wins again in 2021 against the historical opponent Ousainou Darboe who comes in second position with 27.7% of the ballots. What we will especially remember is the record participation rate, 87%, in this presidential election, according to official figures. It was 59% five years ago, proving that Gambians are committed to democracy.
Quiet disputes
And as in any democratic election, there are disappointments and criticisms, even disputes. Adama Barrow’s opponents reject “for the moment“the results and evoke”a number of problems“. No cause for concern at this stage, as the political rivals of the elected president are calling on the Gambians to stay.”calm and peaceful“.
This challenge proves, if necessary, that political speech is completely free and that the climate of fear and terror of the Jammeh era seems to be over. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a major player in the post-electoral crisis of 2015, urged in a press release “all the candidates to accept in good faith the outcome of this election which will have neither winner nor loser, but only one winner, the Gambian people“.
The challenges ahead
At this stage, the young democracy has passed the electoral test. No major incidents, nor violence. But many challenges await the president-elect. Adama Barrow, who had promised to turn the page on dictatorship, has so far succeeded in bringing the country out of its isolation creating a healthier political climate. He will now have to go even further and say whether or not he will bring his predecessor Yahya Jammeh and all those responsible for the crimes committed at that time to trial. Adama Barrow will also have to find solutions to the serious economic crisis that this country is going through, considered one of the poorest in the world.