Gambia’s president-elect plans inauguration amid vote dispute

BANJUL, Gambia — Gambia’s president-elect says he is ready to take office in January despite the refusal by the West African country’s longtime ruler to accept his election loss. “On the day his term expires, my term as the lawful president of the Gambia begins,” Adama Barrow said in a statement late Sunday. “This is the law of the land. My status as incoming president has unquestionable constitutional legitimacy.” President Yahya Jammeh, who at first surprised Gambians by conceding defeat after 22 years in power, a week later announced that he had changed his mind. He alleges voting irregularities that make the Dec. 1 ballot invalid. The crisis has drawn the attention of regional leaders, who on Saturday promised to “take all necessary actions” to enforce the results of Gambia’s election and announced they will attend Barrow’s Jan. 19 inauguration. — Agencies