By: Kemo Kanyi
Mamma Kandeh, the leader of the opposition Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), has maintained his position on the 2021 presidential election result, stating that he does not accept the outcome.
It could be recalled that the Gambia Democratic Congress and the United Democratic Party jointly convened a press conference in the aftermath of the 2021 election results announcement. They condemned the results announced by the Independence Electoral Commission (IEC) and cited malpractices in the electoral processes.
In an interview with Eye Africa TV aired on Saturday, the GDC leader renewed his position of not accepting the 2021 presidential election results, even though he cannot deny President Barrow from occupying the position.
‘’I still don’t accept the 2021 presidential election results. I do not have the authority to determine that he[Barrow] cannot occupy the presidency, but today, I disagree with the results of that presidential election. This was the reason I jointly convened that press briefing with Ousainu Darboe to declare our position as oppositions because we had[pieces] evidence that the election was not conducted in a free and fair electoral atmosphere,’’ Kandeh argued.
He stated that both Darboe and I are Gambians and party leaders and that whenever their thoughts and feelings align, they can come together and declare their stance on national interest. Kandeh added that the two parties have never discussed any possible coalition and that they never begged anything from each other.
‘’When UDP wrote their petition against the 2021 presidential election results, we also forwarded our evidence of electoral malpractices in addition to what they already had to challenge the outcome of the election at the court. If NPP was confident that they had indeed won the elections, why can’t they allow the proceedings at the court? Their only excuse was the technicality in filing the petition that ‘’the President was not informed’’. Should that be enough reason to cancel the hearing of that petition in the court?” stated the GDC leader.
He argued that two institutions in every African country are solely responsible for post-electoral unrest, stating that the opposition parties advocated for peace before anything else as they didn’t want to disrupt the citizens’ peace of mind and businesses.
‘’The justice system and the electoral system are two bodies creating post-electoral unrest everywhere on our African continent. We, as oppositions, believe in peace before anything. That’s why we exercised tolerance and advised our supporters to not take to the streets otherwise business would endure failure, but that doesn’t mean we are satisfied with what happened during the 2021 presidential election,’’ Kandeh stressed.
