Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has congratulated Gambia’s President-elect Adama Barrow following his victory in the presidential elections held on 1 December.
Barrow defeated President Yahya Jammeh, who has been ruling the West African nation for 22 years.
Barrow won by 263 515 votes, or 45% of the total, while Jammeh came second with 212 099 votes, or 36%.
In a statement on Tuesday, President Zuma conveyed his best wishes and committed himself to working closely with Barrow to strengthen bilateral relations between South Africa and Gambia.
President Zuma also commended outgoing President Jammeh for graciously conceding defeat, as well as the people for conducting peaceful and democratic elections.
“The peaceful and democratic manner under which these elections were conducted signify yet another positive step towards deepening democracy on the African continent.” - SAnews.gov.za
