Gambia President Wins Reelection

Incumbent President Yahya Jammeh, a former coup commander whose last election was tainted by allegations of widespread fraud, was declared the winner Friday in Gambian elections called free and fair by international observers.

The foreign monitors’ endorsement of the vote was a significant victory for Jammeh, who seized power in 1994. His first election victory in 1996 was disputed and the vote criticized by international monitors.

Jammeh’s human rights record has drawn steady criticism since then, but he has won supporters by building hospitals, schools and the West African country’s first television station.

Jammeh won nearly 53% of the votes cast Thursday, compared with 32.7% for opposition leader Ousainou Darboe, electoral commission Chairman Gibril Peters announced.