Gambia will head to polls in 1st post-Jammeh election

Gambians are getting ready to vote in a historic election that won't have former dictator Yahya Jammeh on the ballot

BANJUL, Gambia -- Gambians are set to vote Saturday in a historic election, one that for the first time will not have former dictator Yahya Jammeh appearing on the ballot.

While the 2016 elections that removed Jammeh from power after 22 years saw Gambians go from fear to elation, many are still not satisfied with the progress the nation has made and want certainty that the new leaders will bring the tiny West African nation of about 2 million, dependent on tourism, toward peace and justice.

Despite his departure from Gambia in 2017, Jammeh’s grip on the elections remains as candidates vow to continue to fight for justice — the nation continues to suffer from the effects of Jammeh’s rule, still awaiting justice for rights abuses committed during that time and funds taken from state coffers.

“As a country, we cannot heal without justice. We cannot have reconciliation without justice,” Gambia Bar Association lawyer Salieu Taal told The Associated Press.