Serrekunda 19 January 2017 – Adama Barrow, who was declared elected as president by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) after defeating ex-president Yahya Jammeh at the 1 December presidential poll was sworn in at the Gambian Embassy in Dakar yesterday evening. He was sworn in by the Acting President of the Gambian Bar Association, Mr Sheriff Marie Tambedou, in a ceremony chaired by Mr Mai Fatty, a member of the coalition of seven parties that sponsored the candidature of President Barrow at the 1 December 2016 poll.
Representatives of Ecowas, the AU, the UN, the EU and other diplomatic missions were present at the ceremony.
In his inaugural address President Barrow described the development as a victory for the Gambian Nation, noting that “Our National flag will now fly high among those of the most Democratic Nations of the world.”
He emphasized that we are “One Gambia, One Nation, and One People.”
He talked about building “a Secular Democratic Republic that is built on the pillars of Good Governance, Rule of Law and Respect for Fundamental Rights and Freedoms.”
He declared his intention to “establish a Think Tank, The Agency for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development (ASSED) and charged it with the task of establishing an expert bank that would bring all experts on board to share their knowledge and skills in order to put in place an inclusive development agenda.”
He emphasized that as commander-in-chief of the armed forces the armed and security forces are to become loyal to him as from now on and that the armed forces should be confined to barracks, otherwise they will be regarded as rebels.
