Gambia heads into one of the most significant elections of its time. Voters head to the polls on December 1st, where the potential to end Gambia’s “state-sponsored intimidation” could be on the ballot, by voting President Yahya Jammeh out of office. Jammeh took power in 1994 during a military coup, and has since been watched closely by human rights organizations and international governments for his treatment of civilians. Abuses such as torture and arbitrary detention, have been covered frequently in Gambia. Defeating Jammeh would be a step in the right direction for Gambia in its hope to improve the economy and roll back the significant “brain drain” as more Gambians have been fleeing the country. However hopeful the voters may be, Jammeh seems confident in scoring a 5th consecutive win, starting early this November: “Allah elected me, and only Allah can remove me”.
Agora: Watching the World Turn 