Gambian President Barrow Wins Re-Election

Adama Barrow was on Sunday declared the victor of the Gambia's Presidential Election by the electoral commission, winning a second term in office in the tiny West African nation.

Commission Chairman Alieu Momarr Njai declared Barrow the winner, announcing the final results to journalists hours after rival candidates had challenged partial results that gave him a commanding lead.

Saturday's election, the first since former dictator Yahya Jammeh fled into exile, is seen as crucial for the young democracy.  

Earlier Sunday, Ernest Bai Koroma, Head of an election observation mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), appealed to all the candidates "to accept the outcome of the election in good faith.

"There will be no winner or loser but only one winner, The Gambian people," he said in his statement.

Before the full results were announced, three of Barrow's rival candidates had rejected partial results that gave the incumbent president an early lead.

Some of Barrow's supporters, however, were already beginning to celebrate victory in the streets of the capital Banjul.