US Extols Gambia on Peaceful Poll

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The United States of America (USA) has congratulated people of The Gambia on their peaceful and democratic presidential election held on December 1, 2016.

In a statement issued by the Secretary of State, Mr John Kerry, in Washington DC on December 3, the American government also commended President Yayha Jammeh for respecting the results and for agreeing to peacefully transfer power to the president-elect.

“We are grateful to the Independent Electoral Commission for its transparent and efficient management of the electoral process,” the statement said.

The US also congratulated the “President-elect, Mr Adama Barrow, on his historic victory, which will mark the first democratic transfer of power in the country, and we look forward to working with him as he helps to usher in a new era in The Gambia.”

“We call for unity and calm during this transition period, and urge the Gambian government to respect the rights of citizens to freely assemble and express their views on the election results.

“The United States and The Gambia share long-standing ties and we look forward to working together to promote democracy and governance, respect for human rights, and economic and social development,” Mr Kerry said in the statement.