A former North London Argos security guard-Adama Barrow is set to become the president of The Gambia in an unprecedented upset for President Yahya Jammeh who had pledged to rule for a billion years.
The Gambia has not had a smooth transfer of power since independence in 1965–and therefore this is historical for the citizens of the West African country.
President Jammeh, who has ruled for 22 years since he became a President via a coup has conceded defeat to opposition leader Adama Barrow, the chairman of the electoral commission said on Friday morning.
“It’s really unique that someone who has been ruling this country for so long has accepted defeat,” Alieu Momar Njie told reporters.
Gambian state television told AFP that the 51-year-old head of state would make a statement later in the day to congratulate Barrow.
Jammeh was running for a fifth term with his Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), while Barrow ran for eight political groups who united for the first time to field a single candidate.