Ruling party files petition to challenge election result

intern

December 14, 2016 1:46 PM

The petition was filed after an African Union (AU) delegation met with President Yahya Jammeh.

Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh receives a delegation of West African leaders including President John Mahama of Ghana and Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari during a meeting on election crisis in Banjul, Gambia December 13, 2016 REUTERS/Stringer

Gambia’s ruling party filed a petition to challenge the result of the presidential election which saw Yahya Jammeh lose power after 22 years rule.

The result of the Dec. 1 polls should be annulled, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), said in a document handed to the registrar of the Supreme Court in the capital, Banjul.

The petition was filed after an African Union (AU) delegation met with Jammeh, hoping to persuade him to hand over power to President-elect Adama Barrow.

Earlier on Tuesday, security forces blocked the entrance to the electoral commission in Banjul, while the Chief of Defence Staff vowed to remain loyal to Jammeh, indicating that the country’s military would help him stay in power.

Jammeh last week announced his intention to challenge the election results, even though he had earlier conceded defeat to Barrow.

The 51-year-old, who has ruled the West African country for 22 years, deployed heavily armed military and police to the streets of the capital.

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