Gambia: Watchful eyes on first post-Jammeh election

By Mustapha K Darboe

BANJUL, Gambia (AA) - A powerful West African economic bloc has sent 20 observers to monitor Gambia’s historic first elections since the fall of its strongman Yahya Jammeh.

Gambians are heading to the polls Thursday to elect National Assembly members on April 6 among a record 239 registered candidates campaigning for 48 seats.

The election presents the first tough political challenge to country’s new president, Adama Barrow who is seeking a majority in the legislature to pass a host of legal and constitutional reforms.

Barrow leads a coalition of eight parties who are contesting the opposition Gambia Democratic Congress and the former president’s Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction parties.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) boycotted the last two Gambian presidential elections, including last year’s, and Halima Ahmed, its head of political affairs, peace and security, told journalists at a press conference Tuesday that they didn’t monitor past elections because the playing field was not level.

Halima said the regional body does not monitor local government and parliamentary elections but Gambia is an exception because of the nature of its political transition and ECOWAS’ duty to see the country through to the end.

ECOWAS military intervention earlier this year helped force Jammeh from office after he refused to accept his defeat from last December’s polls.