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MONDAY DECEMBER 12, 2016 • T H I S D AY
INTERNATIONAL
email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com
ECOWAS Chairperson: President Jammeh’s U-turn on Election Result Unacceptable AU and UN calls for respect of the peoples verdict
Alex Enumah in Abuja The President of the Republic of Liberia and Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has described President Yaya Jammeh’s rejection of the outcome of the Gambia’s general election as unacceptable and capable of threatening the peace in the entire West African sub-region. She remarked that gone are the days when people chose to accept outcome of elections only when it favours them and reject same when it favours the opposition, warning that appropriate measures would not fail to be meted out to defaulters under regional, continental and global charters and treaties. Her remarks were contained in a statement issued, expressing her deep concerns about current developments in the Islamic Republic of the Gambia. She insisted that the will of the Gambian people, freely expressed in exercise of their franchise, must be respected by all without precondition. “This includes President Jammeh and officials of his government,”
she said. The ECOWAS Chairperson, identified with the joint statement issued by the African Union, ECOWAS and the United Nations, noting that the action leaves no doubt that the reversal in the position of President Jammeh is totally unacceptable. “In this twenty-first century, leaders have no room for selectivity - to accept only outcomes which give a mandate to lead and deny a result which withdraws that mandate, especially when election procedures and modalities are similarly applied. ‘’Our common commitment to the precepts in the Charters and Treaties of these regional, continental and global institutions are binding and prescribe consequences for non-compliance’’, President Sirleaf emphasised. The ECOWAS Chairperson concluded with a plea to President Jammeh to do the right thing and take actions to facilitate a smooth and peaceful transition in the Gambia, respecting the election results which reflect the freely expressed will of the Gambian people. She noted that the Gambian
president’s initial and principled position of acceptance of these results have already been lauded by all in the global community, including herself as the mark of enlightened leadership and patriotism. President Sirleaf made a similar appeal to the President-elect, Barrow and members of the opposition to exercise restraint, underscoring that they too have a responsibility to act maturely in the interest of preserving peace and calm in their country. She also called on
the people of The Gambia to remain calm and peaceful. Meanwhile, President Sirleaf has sent a special message to President Jammeh of The Gambia to accept the election result. Earlier, The President of the ECOWAS Commission, the Chairperson of the AU Commission and the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General to West Africa and the Sahel had in a joint statement expressed deep concerns on the development and urged the government and its agencies to act
responsibly in the current situation. “It is fundamental that the verdict of the ballots should be respected, and that the security of the president -elect Adama Barrow, and that of all Gambian citizen be fully ensured,” they stressed. They also expressed strong support for the call by the Senegalese Government for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, to mid-wife a peaceful transition and orderly handing over of power from the outgoing administration to the
president-elect within constitutional deadlines, in accordance with the Gambian electoral laws. ECOWAS, the AU and the UN in the joint statement further urge all Gambian stakeholders including the elected leadership, the armed forces, political parties and civil society organisations to reject violence and peacefully uphold the will of the people as clearly expressed through the ballot box. They also call upon the Gambian Defence and security forces to live up to their republican duties.
Donald Trump Rejects CIA Russia Hacking Report President-elect Donald Trump has rejected as “ridiculous” a CIA assessment that Russian hackers tried to sway the election in his favour. He told Fox News the Democrats were putting out the reports because they were embarrassed at the scale of the election defeat. On Friday, CIA officials told US media they had concluded that Russians hackers were trying to help Mr Trump.
Russian officials have repeatedly denied the hacking accusations. Mr Trump said it might have been Russia but it was impossible to know. “They have no idea if it’s Russia or China or somebody sitting in a bed some place,” he said. President Barack Obama has ordered a complete review of the hacks, which targeted emails at the Democratic Party and the
emails of a key aide to presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The contents of the emails, passed to Wikileaks and posted online, were embarrassing to the Democrats and shook up the presidential campaign. Senior Republicans have now joined Democrats in calling for a full investigation. Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate
Armed Services Committee, said in a joint statement on Sunday with top Democrats that the CIA’s report “should alarm every American”. He said in an interview that the congressional investigation should be more thorough than the one ordered by the White House. In October, US government officials pointed the finger at Russia, accusing it of meddling in the campaign to undermine the electoral process.