By Landing Ceesay
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Election Observation Mission (EOM) preliminary reports revealed that the Saturday polls were conducted peacefully and transparently.
“The Mission is impressed with the simple but effective voting system, based on the use of marbles being dropped in each candidate’s ballot drum thereby preventing spoilt ballots or invalid votes. The Mission is appreciative of the conditions in which the election was organised as well as the speed and transparency in the collation, transmission and declaration of the provisional results by the IEC. Consequently, the ECOWAS Mission congratulates the government and the people of the Gambia and all stakeholders for their efforts made so far in ensuring that the election was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere,” His Excellency Ernest Bai Koroma former President of Sierra Leone and head of the ECOWAS EOM to The Gambia said.
The head of ECOWAS EOM urged the incoming President to increase efforts to meet the challenges of social stability, economic recovery, democratic governance and consolidation, peace and security in an inclusive manner.
“Despite the controversies, accusations and counter-accusations and the rejection on early Sunday 5th December 2021, of the results, announced, by three Gambian Presidential Candidates, ECOWAS Mission confirmed that the electoral process has been calm and peaceful with no major incident reported,” Bai Koroma added.
Pursuant to the provisions of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance (2001), His Excellency Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), deployed an Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to observe the presidential election in the Gambia as part of ECOWAS support to the democratic process in the country.
The Presidential election took place on Saturday, December 4th 2021 which the incumbent President Adama Barrow the leader of the National People’s Party (NPP) won.
His Excellency Koroma, the head of the ECOWAS EOM to The Gambia made these remarks on Monday at a press briefing at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre on Sunday.