Voters celebrate defeat of Gambia's 'several years' president

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Adama Barrow has defeated Yahya Jammeh, who ran the country for more than 20 years. Jammeh surprised observers by admitting defeat, despite once boasting he would rule Gambia for a billion years.
In a political upset, outgoing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh conceded defeat in the country's election late Friday. Before losing in the polls to newcomer Adama Barrow, Jammeh had ruled the small West African nation for 22 years.


"Gambians have spoken," Jammeh said, after calling Barrow to congratulate him. "I came on a Friday on December 22, 1994, and today, December 2, 2016, you have decided to put me in the back seat."
The longtime strongman, who came to power in a military coup, said he would now "live and die" for the Gambian people as a farmer instead of a president. Jammeh garnered around 212,000 votes to Barrow's 263,500 - with a third-party candidate, Mama Kandeh, getting around 103,000 votes.

Many elections since Jammeh came to power have been mired in allegations of foul play, and the country experienced a nationwide Internet blackout on the eve of Friday's vote.
Demonstrators shouted, "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" Friday in the streets of the capital, Banjul, as spontaneous celebrations erupted across the city.