Gambia’s main opposition party on Tuesday filed a legal complaint with the country’s Supreme Court that challenges the results of the December 4 election that declared Adama Barrow as the winner and Ousainou Darboe as the runner-up, reported Reuters.
Darboe’s United Democratic Party said that it filed a petition to nullify the results over what it said was corruption and bribery that marred the campaign.
Barrow, who came to power in 2016, won a second term in the polls. According to results declared by Gambia’s election commission, the incumbent president won 53 percent of the votes, while his closest competitor Darboe won 27.7 percent of the votes.
The 56-year-old Barrow faced five challengers in his re-election bid. The vote count was slow in part because of the country’s unusual voting system.
The opposition party claimed in its petition that Barrow and his party members promised to pay cash in exchange for votes. It argued that the election was invalid as numerous foreign nationals had cast votes, among other irregularities. The opposition has not yet provided any evidence of wrongdoing.
The December 4 vote was the first in 27 years without disgraced former president Yahya Jammeh, who lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea after refusing to accept defeat to Barrow in 2016.
The election observers from the African Union said Gambia’s election was conducted in line with international standards.
The European Union observers praised the transparency of the voting and counting process. The United States has also given its approval to the election, saying observers noted only minor irregularities during voting.
As per Gambia’s electoral system, the opposition has the right to petition the election results before the Supreme Court within 10 days. The court then has 30 working days from the start of hearings to issue its decision.
Barrow’s swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to be held on January 19.
