By Amara Thoronka
Elections globally are not perfect. You can hardly cite a country in the world which has conducted a national election without challenges and/or anomalies. Not the United States, not United Kingdom, not France, not Russia, not any nation. No matter what there are either minor or major electoral glitches.
However, the question in civilized and mature democracies has always been: is the said anomaly substantial or weighty enough to discredit the result in its entirety? If it goes in the affirmative, observers and others can point it out and there are legal remedies to overturn the result. But if the answer is in the negative, the result is usually accepted, and the minor anomalies then form the basis of subsequent legal, electoral, and administrative reforms.
The conduct of Gambia’s presidential election on Saturday 4th December and the announcement of its result on the night of Sunday 5th December is one that has been validated by international and local election observers. In a joint press briefing after the proclamation of the result, international observers from West Africa subregional body- Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African Union (AU), Commonwealth, European Union, Election Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) and West Africa Elders Forum (WAEF) unanimously agreed and validated the election result, confirming that the election was free, fair, transparent and credible. The same has been replicated by local non-state actors that observed the process nationwide.
According to reports and findings of local and international observers, the candidates were represented in polling stations across the country and that they validated the election results at polling station level by appending their signatures to result forms. The said candidates were also represented at collation centers and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) headquarters for holistic endorsement of the result.
Also, with the exception of United Democratic Party (UDP) presidential candidate Ousainou Darboe and Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) candidate Mama Kandeh, all those who contested the said election and other political leaders have accepted the outcome and have congratulated president-elect Adama Barrow.
Moreover, the Gambian and international media did not report any anomaly that was not remedied on the spot by the IEC. The nomination, campaign, voting, counting and announcement of result were all covered by the media. Live streams were also done online for wider audience and insight into the electioneering process.
If the above factors still appear unconvincing for you to accept the result, well think about the potential consequences of your denial and/or defiance on yourself and the society. Think about the pain and suffering your violent reaction can inflict on pregnant women, lactating mothers, the disable, the aged and socioeconomic activities.
