Jammeh orders electoral commission reopened

 The Gambia’s president ordered the electoral commission building taken over by police on December 13 to reopen on Thursday, saying it had been shut for safety reasons. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) was sealed off without warning by security forces on the same day President Yahya Jammeh’s political party lodged a court case against the […]

 The Gambia’s president ordered the electoral commission building taken over by police on December 13 to reopen on Thursday, saying it had been shut for safety reasons.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) was sealed off without warning by security forces on the same day President Yahya Jammeh’s political party lodged a court case against the commission to have a recent election result annulled.

A decree issued on Thursday claimed the authorities had received reports the IEC would be burnt down, stating: “Now that the threat has abated, the IEC head office will reopen.”

IEC staff could return to work “with immediate effect”, the statement added, but a visible security presence would be maintained around the compound close to the capital, Banjul. The president’s legal complaint against the IEC was triggered in part by a vote recount in the days following the December 1 election, which ultimately confirmed opponent Adama Barrow’s victory, 22 years after Jammeh took power.