The Supreme Court of Gambia cannot rule on President Yahya Jammeh’s challenge against his electoral defeat until May, according to its chief justice. The ruling casts further doubt on whether a peaceful political transition will happen next week as scheduled. The West African country has been thrust into a political crisis following a December 1 presidential vote, which saw longtime ruler Jammeh losing to opposition leader Adama Barrow. Jammeh initially conceded defeat but later reversed his position, lodging a legal case aimed at annulling the result and triggering new elections. Barrow, a former real estate agent, is scheduled to take office on January 19.
The election challenge was supposed to be heard on Tuesday by five judges, including Chief Justice Emmanuel Fagbele, but the Nigerian and Sierra Leonean judges were absent.
Fagbele told Jammeh’s lawyers that he needed a full panel to hear the petition but the outsourced judges would not travel there until either May or November. The Gambia relies on foreign judges to staff its courts due to a lack of trained professionals in the tiny country.
The legal case was adjourned to Monday, but Fagbele warned the petitioners that they should not expect anything different. “We can only hear this matter when we have a full bench of the Supreme Court,” Fagbele said.
Full Article: Gambia: Yahya Jammeh’s election challenge postponed | The Gambia News | Al Jazeera.