Win means Adama Barrow can move ahead with promised transitions towards greater freedoms

The party of Gambia’s new President Adama Barrow won a majority of seats in the new Parliament after two decades of domination by the party of former leader Yahya Jammeh, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced on Friday.

Mr. Barrow’s United Democratic Party won 31 seats in the 53-seat National Assembly. The results mean Mr. Barrow can move ahead with promised transitions towards greater freedoms.

Towards greater freedoms

Mr. Barrow, who beat Mr. Jammeh in December elections, has promised a path towards reconciliation and greater freedoms in this tiny West African country. Mr. Jammeh’s government was long accused of rights abuses.

The former ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party was reduced to five seats, according to results read out by IEC chair Alieu Momarr Njai. He called the vote free and fair.

Various parties that joined together to back Mr. Barrow in the December election but ran separately on Thursday won remaining seats.

While more than 8,80,000 voters were registered to vote, turnout was low. A total of 10 political parties took part in the National Assembly elections.

Gambia’s more than 1.8 million people were ruled for 22 years by Mr. Jammeh, whose refusal to leave power brought regional countries to the brink of a military intervention. His flight into exile in January was a dramatic moment for many in Africa, where a number of leaders have clung to power for decades.