UN chief calls on outgoing Gambian president

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday urged outgoing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh and all political actors and their supporters to "fully respect the outcome of the election and to resolve all disputes" through established legal procedures.

In a statement issued here by his spokesman, the secretary-general said that he "is dismayed" by Jammeh's statement on Friday in which he rejected the results of the Dec. 1 election and called for his country to vote again, a week after initially accepting his defeat.

"The secretary-general calls on president Jammeh and all political actors and their supporters to fully respect the outcome of the election and to resolve all disputes that may arise from the electoral process through established legal procedures in an expeditious and transparent manner," the statement said.

The outgoing president, who has ruled Gambia since the 1994 military coup, suffered a shocking loss in running for his fifth term.

Jammeh, in his Dec. 2 address on Gambian state television, accepted his defeat and congratulated opponent Barrow on his victory.

Ban "reiterates his earlier call for a peaceful, timely and orderly transfer of power, in full respect of the will of the Gambian people as expressed in the election," the statement said.

"The secretary-general urges all stakeholders, including defence and security forces, to refrain from any statements or actions that may lead to violence or unrest."

Earlier on Saturday, the UN Security Council strongly condemned Jammeh for rejecting official election results, urging him to "respect the choice of the sovereign people" of the West African country.

In a press statement, the 15-nation UN council also called on the outgoing president to "transfer, without condition and undue delay, power to the president-elect, Mr. Adama Barrow."

The Security Council urged the outgoing president to carry out a peaceful and orderly transition process and requested that the security of Barrow and that of all Gambian citizen "be fully ensured," the statement said.

source: Xinhua