iStock/Thinkstock(BANJUL, Gambia) — Gambia’s authoritarian president of 22 years is stepping down after a shock election defeat.
In a concession speech on state TV Friday, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh accepted his loss to property developer Adama Barrow and said he would “help him work towards the transition,” according to BBC.
Human rights groups have criticized Jammeh for restricting freedom of the press, his calls for anti-gay violence, and for claiming he could cure HIV/AIDS and infertility.
Hundreds of Barrow’s supporters took to the streets in Gambia, that has a population of about 2 million, to celebrate the election results, BBC reports.
The president-elect promised voters he would revive Gambia’s struggling economy and would impose a presidential term limit, according to BBC.
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