Gambia: “Elections have never been so open”

THEGambian voters are electing their next president this Saturday, December 4, 2021. Five years after the historic defeat of autocrat Yahya Jammeh, the population is more than ever mobilized for this unprecedented electoral campaign. This Saturday’s vote will set the course for democratic governance for years to come. In the streets of Sérékunda, the largest city in The Gambia, it’s hard not to notice the buzz surrounding the presidential election: the stickers are on cars and on shop windows; campaign posters monopolize many billboards and informal discussions animate groups of people at road corners. In the days leading up to the vote, the presidential election is on everyone’s lips. Some do not hesitate to openly show their support for one of the six candidates in the running. Explanation: after two decades of repressive regime, this election really has a special flavor.

A poll with a special flavor

“For 22 years, we have not had such elections. It was only a party that suffocated the others and we could not say anything, even less the journalists ”, recalls Baba Hydara, reporter for the daily. The Point, founded by his father Deyda Hydara, an icon of the opposition under Jammeh and assassinated in 2004 for his multiple articles critical of power. “This time there are a lot of candidates. It’s exciting to see this new Gambia, ”he continues. A completely understandable comment given that the current plurality symbolizes the democratic transition that the country has initiated since the fall of the autocrat Yahya Jammeh, in 2017, in exile in Equatorial Guinea.

The December 4 elections are the first since his historic defeat to Adama Barrow. “They have never been so open,” assures Fatou Jagne Senghor, a Senegalese lawyer and outgoing director of the NGO Article 19. So inevitably, they have a certain taste for freedom. “Under Jammeh, we were afraid, we could not say what we wanted without fear of being arrested when returning home,” recalls Modou, a trader in Sérékunda. “Now we feel more free to express ourselves,” he adds.

Unprecedented freedom of expression

This freedom of expression is reflected throughout society. “This is the first time in the history of The Gambia that social networks have taken so much place in the electoral debate. The media also cover them widely, ”illustrates Fatou Jagne Senghor. Since the end of the repressive regime, the media and other Internet sites have multiplied.

“All stakeholders are involved in this election. We see more young people and women mobilized, but also the diaspora, which was deprived of the vote before. “Proof that this election is of interest: there are more than 962,000 registered voters, it is almost twice as many as in 2016.” People are very concerned about what is happening in the country. We are in a nascent democracy which gives everyone the impression of being able to have their say, ”she says.

A ballot set to be tight …

The Gambians want to turn the page of their dark past and “go to the end of this democratic transition”, assures Baba Hydara. Faced with the plurality of candidates, how will this manifest itself in the ballot box? “The small parties are likely to shake up the game a little, some outsiders may be able to surprise but, in the end, it will be played between Adama Barrow and Ousainou Darboe”, concedes the Sene-Gambian lawyer. The first, outgoing president, candidate of the NPP (National People’s Party), had created a surprise by winning the elections of December 2016. He had promised to stay only three years in power, then finally decided to stay for the entire mandate. The second, historical opponent of Yahya Jammeh, candidate of the UDP (United Democratic Party), is running for the fifth time. Before the latter was dismissed from his post as vice-president, in 2019, the two men were allies.

… Between two candidates who trust advertising posters

In the streets of Sérékunda, the faces of the two main candidates mostly share the public space, but also the voting intentions. “Barrow has done more in four years than Jammeh in twenty-two. He has developed infrastructure, roads… Our living conditions have improved. We must give him the opportunity to continue what he has started, ”says Modou, sitting in his shop.

For Yaya, a taxi driver, Adama Barrow’s victory also raised “a lot of hope”. But the young man does not draw the same conclusions from his mandate. “He disappointed us. He was not sufficiently interested in the development of the country. You just have to look outside, ”pointing to the wreckage of cars and the plethora of plastic waste littering the main road. “And then, he did not respect all his commitments. He will vote Ousainou Darboe, as evidenced by the candidate’s poster stuck on his rear windshield.

“A decisive moment” for the victims of the Jammeh era

Many Gambians and observers criticize the Head of State for not having completed some of his key reforms which should have marked a break with the repressive regime, particularly in terms of press law, human rights, as well as the revision of the Constitution. His “opaque” links with the former autocrat are also denounced. “Many strategic posts have remained in the hands of former Jammeh ministers, who were at the heart of the repressive apparatus. Even in a country that is undergoing a normal democratic transition, that does not happen, ”said Fatou Jagne Senghor.

Wanting to ensure his re-election, the head of state has also allied with some supporters of the former president. An alliance particularly badly experienced by the victims of the Jammeh era who are still waiting for the perpetrators of crimes committed under the authority of the autocrat to be brought to justice.

After three years of work, the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission, undertaken by Adama Barrow, submitted its report to the Head of State a week before the presidential election. Its content has not yet been made public, but according to a statement, it recommends that those most responsible be brought to justice. For the victims and their families, the elections are “a decisive moment”, since the fate of the recommendations now rests on the shoulders of the winner. “Barrow has lost supporters among victims who have felt betrayed and are concerned about what action he will take on the report if he is re-elected,” said Sheriff Kijera, president of the Victims Center. Even if the outgoing president assured them that “justice will be done”, they are numerous to base their hopes in a change of government.

The useful vote in question

Could this change be embodied by Ousainou Darboe? “Even if the victims have more affinities with other smaller candidates, they believe that it is the only one who has the possibility of beating Barrow”, analyzes Reed Brody, lawyer and member of the International Commission of Jurists working with the victims of Jammeh.

“It doesn’t mean that they like him, they’ve had disagreements with him before, but they don’t lose sight of the end goal: that justice be done to them. What will be played on Saturday is the useful vote, ”he adds. An opinion shared by Fatou Jagne Senghor who says: “In normal times, some would not vote Barrow, but they say to themselves that it is necessary to vote useful because they are not sure that with Darboe, the democratic transition will be guaranteed. Many actors doubt its ability to unite the country. On the other hand, some say Barrow has shown his limits. The game being very open, it is difficult to give trends. “

National unity, the great challenge

According to the lawyer, the biggest challenge of this small country is national unity. “The Gambia is a very divided country, especially ethnically. Saturday’s vote will be played around peace, ”she said, and around the answers to questions:“ Who will be less bad? Who will be able to stabilize the country while waiting to find a more inspiring, more charismatic leader? Who can unite the people? “These elections are only one stage in the process of democratic transition”, she specifies, before concluding: “It is not in 5 years that we can settle 22 years of repression. A reflection that will be in the minds of voters this Saturday? The results of this one-round ballot will give an idea. They are expected Sunday morning at the latest.