Gambian president seeks re-election in criticised vote

Yahya Jammeh,
Gambian President

Gambian president seeks re-election in criticised vote

Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, is seeking a new term in an election on Thursday that West African regional bloc ECOWAS said has been marked by the intimidation of opposition groups and voters.

Nearly 800,000 Gambians are registered to vote in the election pitting Jammeh against two opposition rivals.

Binta Jah, a housewife voting in the coastal town of Serekunda, complained that a sack of rice costs about $30 in a country where average income is $1 a day, which an average Gambian cannot afford.

Unacceptable control of electronic media

"I am coming to vote and pray for change because life is very hard," she said.

Yet many analysts believe Jammeh's election to a new five-year term is a foregone conclusion after 17 years of rule that began with a 1994 coup and has been marked by lethal crackdowns on protests, mass arrests of opponents and military reshuffles.

Regional body, ECOWAS, in an unusually strong criticism of a member state, said on Tuesday it would not send a mission to observe the poll "because the preparations and political environment ... are adjudged by the commission not to be conducive for the conduct of free, fair and transparent polls."

It said a fact-finding mission had found "an unacceptable level of control of the electronic media by the party in power ... and an opposition and electorate cowed by repression and intimidation".

‘False picture of political climate’

The head of Gambia's electoral body, Alhagie Mustapha Carayol, said the ECOWAS claims were "nonsense". An African Union delegation will be present to observe voting.

"ECOWAS is painting a false picture of the political climate of the country, anything happens to the Gambia, ECOWAS is responsible”, he said.

Controversial supports

Gambia's election follows other recent polls in West Africa, a region that has struggled with democracy, including that of Ivory Coast, which led to a brief civil war, and smoother ones in Guinea, Liberia and Niger.

One of Africa's most colourful rulers, Jammeh announced in 2007 that he had herbal concoction that cured AIDS, a claim derided by international health experts.

The United States sees the Gambian government as an important ally against militants and drugs trafficking. Some Gambians credit Jammeh with improvements in infrastructure, education and healthcare.

But international human rights groups have repeatedly accused Jammeh of stifling dissent and press freedom, and regional neighbours including Senegal and Guinea have accused him of trying to destabilize them.

Jammeh, 46, is running against opposition veteran Hamat Bah, 51, representing a four-party alliance, and Canadian-trained attorney Ousainou Darboe, 63.

Jammeh has won all three elections since the coup, although the wins have been painted by accusations of fraud.

Method of voting

Gambia, a former British colony, is a sliver of land along the Gambia River between northern and southern Senegal. It retains an archaic method of voting devised by colonialists.

Voters are given one marble each, which they drop into a drum corresponding to the candidate of their choice. The marble strikes a bell inside the drum, preventing multiple voting.

REUTERS/Chinemerem/Williams