2006 Gambian presidential election

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006 Gambian presidential election

← 2001 22 September 2006 2011 →
Registered670,336
Turnout58.6%
 
Nominee Yahya Jammeh Ousainou Darboe Halifa Sallah
Party APRC UDP PDOIS
Alliance ARC NADD
Popular vote 264,404 104,808 23,473
Percentage 67.33% 26.69% 5.98%


President before election

Yahya Jammeh
APRC

Elected President

Yahya Jammeh
APRC

Presidential elections were held in the Gambia on 22 September 2006. Incumbent President Yahya Jammeh was re-elected with 67.3% of the vote.[1] Ousainou Darboe, who finished second with 27% of the vote, rejected the official results, saying that the elections had not been free and fair and that there was widespread voter intimidation.[2]

Electoral system[edit]

All the 989 polling booths used marbles, which were inserted into candidate drums instead of ballot papers due to the high illiteracy rate. The marble system is only used in Gambia, where it has been used since 1965.[3]

Results[edit]

CandidatePartyVotes%
Yahya JammehAlliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction264,40467.33
Ousainou DarboeUnited Democratic Party104,80826.69
Halifa SallahNational Alliance for Democracy and Development23,4735.98
Total392,685100.00
Registered voters/turnout670,336
Source: Adam Carr

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gambian president is re-elected BBC News, 23 September 2006
  2. ^ Gambian opposition claims fraud BBC News, 25 September 2006
  3. ^ Gambians vote with their marbles BBC News, 22 September 2006

Further reading[edit]

  • Saine, Abdoulaye (2008). "The Gambia's 2006 Presidential Election: Change or Continuity?". African Studies Review. 51 (1): 59–83. doi:10.1353/arw.0.0029. JSTOR 27667291. S2CID 145287607.