Yahya Jammeh, the Islamist president of Gambia, lost the 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow, candidate of the opposition party and a former security guard.
After announcing the result, Alieu Momar Njie, chairman of the Gambian electoral commission, said Jammeh had accepted the unfavourable outcome of the election.
ALSO READ: Outrage: Zahra Buhari Calls Gambian President Jammeh A ‘Child Fucker’ [LOOK]
Njie said it was unprecedented for a head of state in the country to accept defeat before the final results.
“It’s really unique that someone who has been ruling this country for so long has accepted defeat,” Alieu Momar Njie told reporters on Friday, December 2, 2016.
Jammeh has been in power for 22 years. The West African country has not had a smooth transfer of power since independence in 1965.
Jammeh was a controversial leader who declared the small tourist West African country an Islamic republic in 2015. He also propounded sever punishments for homosexuals in Gambia.
He told state TV the proclamation was in line with Gambia’s “religious identity and values”. Some 90% of Gambians are Muslim. The former British colony’s economy relies heavily on tourism.
ALSO READ: Top 10 Least Educated African Presidents… Dictators, Despots, Sit-Tight Rulers (CLICK)
Former President Goodluck Jonathan made history when he conceded election to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 before the final result was announced.
In March, Lionel Zinsou, prime minister of Benin Republic, conceded defeat to Patrice Talon, winner of the country’s presidential election.
