Standing ovation as Gambia president Barrow wins second term election

Gambia President Adama Barrow has comfortably won a second-term presidential election.

Thousands of his supporters celebrated in the streets of Banjul, although his opponents disputed the results announced late Sunday.

Barrow, whose assumption of the presidency five years ago ended more than 20 years of dictatorship, garnered more than 53 percent of the vote, according to results released by the electoral commission. His main challenger Ousainou Darboe won 27.7 percent.

Saturday’s election, the first since former dictator Yahya Jammeh fled into exile, is seen as crucial for the young West African democracy.

Electoral commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai declared Barrow the winner, announcing the final results to journalists hours after rival candidates had challenged partial results that gave him a commanding lead.

Crowds of Barrow’s supporters marched through the streets of the capital to a din of horns and danced on a vast esplanade.

Barrow received a standing ovation when he addressed them with “a great sense of joy and humility” and called on his supporters to respect those who voted for his opponents in a “free, fair and transparent election”.

“I will do all I can and utilise every resource at my disposal to make The Gambia a better place for us all,” he said.