Gambia's opposition leader contests Barrow's re-election

The party of Gambian opposition leader Ousainou Darboe announced Tuesday that it appealed to the Supreme Court to annul the proclaimed re-election of the incumbent Adama Barrow in the presidential election, accusing him of multiple irregularities including vote-buying.

Adama Barrow was declared the winner by the electoral commission of the presidential election of December 4 with about 53% of the vote, against about 27% for the main of his five competitors, Usainou Darboe.

The presidential election is a one-round contest in the Gambia.

Mr. Darboe had even before the announcement of the results expressed with two other candidates his intention to contest the result, without specifying the reasons.

His party, the United Democratic Party (UDP), appealed to the Supreme Court on Tuesday. In its appeal, it accuses Mr. Barrow or his supporters of having distributed money or gifts in various villages. It claims that Mr. Barrow's party, the National People's Party (NPP), has infiltrated the electoral commission. 

 It also alleged that non-Gambians participated in the election as well as various irregularities in the voting and counting process.

In a statement, the UDP called on its supporters to remain calm and assured them of its commitment to using "exclusively peaceful means" to settle electoral disputes.

The international community has signaled that it will be watching to see whether the losers accept or contest the results made official by the commission, as an indicator of the progress made by this young democracy in transition.