{"id":295620,"date":"2017-02-19T09:10:22","date_gmt":"2017-02-19T09:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=295620"},"modified":"2017-02-19T09:10:22","modified_gmt":"2017-02-19T09:10:22","slug":"gambian-leader-sworn-in-at-packed-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/02\/gambian-leader-sworn-in-at-packed-stadium\/","title":{"rendered":"Gambian leader sworn in at packed stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Gambia has formally sworn in its new elected President, Adama Barrow, in front of a crowd of thousands including African heads of state.<\/p>\n

It was the second time he had taken the oath after his formal inauguration was delayed by the reluctance of his predecessor to leave office.<\/p>\n

“This is a victory for democracy,” he told a full stadium of his countrymen near the capital Banjul.<\/p>\n

“Few people would have thought that I’d be standing here today,” he said.<\/p>\n

He told the crowd that Gambian people now had the power to control their own destiny and that he was going to free political prisoners and improve press freedom.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Army
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by leading army officers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

“For 22 years, the Gambian people yearned to live in a country where our diverse tribes will be bridged by tolerance and our determination to work together for the common good,” he said. “One Gambia, one nation, one people.”<\/p>\n

Mr Barrow, 51, talked of pressing economic challenges left over from the rule of his predecessor, Yahya Jammeh.<\/p>\n

“We have inherited an economy in decline,” the new president said, and promised to attract investment in the technology sector, introduce free primary education and strengthen the judiciary.<\/p>\n

“Gambia has changed forever. The people are fully conscious that they can put a government in office as well as remove it.”<\/p>\n

The president’s first swearing-in was at a low-key event at the country’s embassy in Senegal last month, after the lengthy power struggle forced him into exile.<\/p>\n

Crowds on Saturday had queued through the night to get a good spot inside the Independence Stadium.<\/p>\n

Brass bands began playing ahead of the event and flags waved.<\/p>\n

Mr Barrow is only the third president in the history of The Gambia, and the celebrations also mark 52 years of the west African country’s independence.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Supporters
Supporters of the new president gathered out the Independence Stadium ahead of the ceremony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

Mr Jammeh was voted out in December but he only agreed to step aside when regional powers sent in troops ready to remove him by force.<\/p>\n

He has since fled to Equatorial Guinea.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Crowds
The crowds filed into the stadium ahead of the ceremony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

The Gambia is now set to rejoin international institutions such as the International Criminal Court and the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n

Mr Barrow, a successful property developer who has never held public office, defied the odds by winning the election.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the BBC just before the election, he said that Gambians “had been suffering for 22 years” and were ready for change.<\/p>\n

His predecessor had once told the BBC he would rule for a billion years, if necessary.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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