- Title: Gambia's Jammeh accused of not giving way to democracy
- Date: 11th December 2016
- Summary: VARIOUS OF JALLOW DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF PPP, OUMAR JALLOW, SAYING: "My reaction is that Jammeh is typically behaving like a dictator who doesn't want to leave his power to a peaceful and democratic process. In the Gambian constitution requires that we hold our elections to an independent electoral commission and we are fortunate that this independent electoral commission, some of the members, who were members of this commission, appointed by Yahya Jammeh, for the last 15 years, the four or three elections won by Jammeh, elections that were supervised by the same people in the commission." VARIOUS OF JALLOW WITH HIS FAMILY IN THE LIVING ROOM AND SPEAKING ON THE PHONE JALLOW'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF PPP, OUMAR JALLOW, SAYING: "I couldn't understand now why he is talking about going to court. I think he is just speaking but we as the alliance and the coalition are not going to accept anything short of Jammeh handing over to the president-elect on the day his presidential time expires, which will be around the 17th or 18th of January." TWO SOLDIERS WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF PPP, OUMAR JALLOW, SAYING: "The heads of the security agencies will realise that they are being paid by the state and they are employed by the state and they should owe allegiance to the constitution and to the state and not to an individual or a party. These are institutions that are supposed to outlive government and presidents because they are here to serve any government of the day that is elected to serve the people of the Gambia. Fortunately, all of them have made statements after the elections supporting and saying that they owe allegiance to the new president-elect, and they are going to work with him." VARIOUS OF VEHICLES TRAVELLING AND COWS BY ROAD BRUFUT, GAMBIA (DECEMBER 11, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GAMBIA PRESIDENT-ELECT ADAMA BARROW AT HIS HOUSE GREETING SUPPORTERS
- Embargoed: 26th December 2016 19:39
- Keywords: Gambia election Jammeh Barrow
- Location: BAKAU, SEREKUNDA, BRUFUT, GAMBIA
- City: BAKAU, SEREKUNDA, BRUFUT, GAMBIA
- Country: Gambia
- Reuters ID: LVA0035CFW11J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh has been accused on Sunday (December 11) of behaving like a dictator and not giving way to democracy, by challenging the election result.
Jammeh lost the election to opposition candidate Adama Barrow, which was announced by the elections commission last week and followed by his rapid concession.
It had sparked hope for change in the tiny West African nation following 22 years of Jammeh's authoritarian rule.
However, in a move that drew widespread condemnation from the international community, the mercurial former coup leader on Friday decried "serious and unacceptable abnormalities" and called for fresh polls.
In a statement broadcast on state television late on Saturday, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) said it was preparing a legal challenge to the result.
Barrow declined to speak to Reuters on Sunday, but Omar Jallow, head of the People's Progressive Party which backed Barrow in the election, said Jammeh's actions were "nothing more than a coup d'etat."
"We will not accept anything less than Adama Barrow being sworn in," Jallow said.
Jammeh has long had a troubled relationship with the international community due to accusations of human rights violations including the repression of political opposition and threats of violence and death against homosexuals. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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