The Gambia’s November 24th Presidential Election was free, fair and transparent, says the head of the Commonwealth Election Observer Mission team who led a 12-man observer delegation to the country to observe the electoral process.

Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, former Foreign Affairs minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was speaking to the State House press corps Monday evening shortly after his closed-door discussion with the president-elect, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh.

“Our conclusion is that this was an election conducted fairly, openly and with transparency,” he told the journalists at the presidency, while noting that the Commonwealth was here even before the campaign started.

“So we didn’t just come overnight. We had our Commonwealth team that came in while you were preparing for an election that was here during the campaign and on election day and we are still here four or five days after the election. So we have been with you all throughout this period.”

The Commonwealth Observer Mission chief said they have noted the calm atmosphere in which the campaign was carried out, the absence of violence, the civility of the language that was adopted by the governing party, something he said was reciprocated by the opposition as well.

“We noted with approval the language of the president of the Republic himself in calling for non-violence and a condemnation of the use of uncivil [abusive] language. On election day we noted the patience of the people that turned out to queue,” he explained.

Turnout
Akinyemi also harped on what he called the massive turnout of voters across the country, while specifically recognising the massive turnout by the women and the youths.

Noting that they have also observed the post-election period, the Commonwealth Observer Mission chief praised the maturity of the Gambian people in accepting the verdict.

Media
The interview also touched on the need to strengthen the media and recognise it as a “partner in development.” Akinyemi explains: “Like I told the president, as human beings there will always be lapses that need to be addressed.

Therefore we noted that the media needs to be regarded as a partner in development in this country and the Commonwealth stands rightly to support that [cause]. Some of you may recall that the Commonwealth was here on a capacity building exercise in July, this year.

The Commonwealth is prepared to continue such capacity buildings for the media. We believed that the democratic space should be made wider for all stakeholders to freely advance and campaign for their views.

Those are the preliminary report we issued today and we will also issue a multilateral report which will go to the secretary general of the Commonwealth and then be shared with the government here as well as all Commonwealth governments.”

Professor Akinyemi also opined that The Gambia’s experience could be shared with other African countries, while praising the nation’s electoral system of using marbles, which he described as “so transparent and so simple”.