Gambian presidential election, 2011
Encyclopedia
Presidential elections were held in the Gambia
on 24 November 2011. The incumbent Yahya Jammeh
(in office since seizing power in a coup d'état
in 1994) faced Ousainou Darboe
of the United Democratic Party
and Hamat Bah
of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development
.
Voting took place using marbles dropped into coloured bins each containing a gong.
who praised the process, European Union
, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Commonwealth
although ECOWAS did not send any monitors because of "an unacceptable level of control of the electronic media by the party in power ... and an opposition and electorate cowed by repression and intimidation"
Before the election Jammeh had claimed "I will never compromise peace and stability at the altar of so-called democracy", that "there is no way I can lose unless you tell me that all Gambian people are mad" and in response to press criticism said "The journalists are less than 1% of the population and if anybody expects me to allow less than 1% of the population to destroy 99% of the population, you are in the wrong place."
On the election day Bah claimed that he had not heard of any intimidation of his supporters although Darboe claimed the vote was fraudulent, rejected the result and complained of intimidation from the presence of military vehicles on the streets.
The Independent Electoral Commission also said there was no intimidation and that "it is impossible to rig elections in Gambia".
There was also criticism of the election organisation as many voters went to the wrong polling station.
(Data from IEC)
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
on 24 November 2011. The incumbent Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Jammeh
Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh is the President of The Gambia...
(in office since seizing power in a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
in 1994) faced Ousainou Darboe
Ousainou Darboe
Ousainou Darboe is a Gambian human rights lawyer and politician. He is leader of the country's main opposition party, the United Democratic Party ....
of the United Democratic Party
United Democratic Party (The Gambia)
The United Democratic Party is a conservative political party in The Gambia, affiliated to the International Democratic Union, founded in 1996 by the human rights lawyer Ousainou Darboe...
and Hamat Bah
Hamat Bah
Hamat Bah is a Gambian politician and leader of the National Reconciliation Party . Running as his party's presidential candidate in 2001, he placed third, winning 7.8% of the vote...
of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development
National Alliance for Democracy and Development
The National Alliance for Democracy and Development is a five-party coalition of Gambian opposition political parties.It was officially launched January 2005 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Democratic Action Movement , National Reconciliation Party ,...
.
Voting took place using marbles dropped into coloured bins each containing a gong.
Monitoring and criticism
The election was monitored by the African UnionAfrican Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
who praised the process, European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
although ECOWAS did not send any monitors because of "an unacceptable level of control of the electronic media by the party in power ... and an opposition and electorate cowed by repression and intimidation"
Before the election Jammeh had claimed "I will never compromise peace and stability at the altar of so-called democracy", that "there is no way I can lose unless you tell me that all Gambian people are mad" and in response to press criticism said "The journalists are less than 1% of the population and if anybody expects me to allow less than 1% of the population to destroy 99% of the population, you are in the wrong place."
On the election day Bah claimed that he had not heard of any intimidation of his supporters although Darboe claimed the vote was fraudulent, rejected the result and complained of intimidation from the presence of military vehicles on the streets.
The Independent Electoral Commission also said there was no intimidation and that "it is impossible to rig elections in Gambia".
There was also criticism of the election organisation as many voters went to the wrong polling station.
Results
The election was won by a huge majority by Yahya Jammeh on an 83% turnout.(Data from IEC)