The Gambia in the last five years has been described as a new beacon of hope for the Commonwealth by its secretary general Patricia Scotland who was in Banjul to witness Wednesday’s inauguration of President Adama Barrow for a second-five year term.
In a statement to coincide with Barrow’s investiture in front of thousands of his compatriots at the Independence Stadium in Bakau just outside the Gambian capital, the Commonwealth said the smallest country on the African mainland has turned a corner since the end of the grim days of the past when democracy was undermined.
To begin his second term following his re-election last December President Barrow Gambia’s third president since independence, took his oaths of office in the presence of eight of his West African peers and heads of international organisations including Ms. Scotland.
The Commonwealth which is made up largely of former British colonies had sent election observers to Banjul to monitor the presidential poll and later adjudged that the exercise had been free, fair and transparent.
“Four years ago, when The Gambia re-joined the Commonwealth, it felt like an old friend, or a beloved brother or sister, coming back home… our world faces profound and serious challenges, but I truly believe that The Gambia will shine like a beacon across the Commonwealth, just as the Commonwealth will shine like a beacon across the world” Ms. Scotland said.
“Because at a time when democracy is under strain in many parts of our world, democracy in The Gambia is getting stronger” she pointed out.
In his inaugural address President Barrow said his re-election for another five years was a vote of confidence from the Gambian people.
“It is a vote of hope and reassurance, a rejection of division and oppression…” he said.
In his election campaign President Barrow had promised to tackle poverty, unemployment and infrastructural deficits in The Gambia, a country whose health system grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.
WN/as/APA