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Senate Passes Risch, Durbin Bipartisan Resolution to Support The Gambia on a Democratic and Peaceful Election

WASHINGTON – The U.S Senate passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) expressing support for the free, fair, and peaceful December 4, 2021, presidential election in The Gambia. The resolution also calls on the Gambian government to follow through on recent Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission recommendations, and for all parties and voters to again peacefully participate in the upcoming legislative election on April 9th.

“The passage of this resolution reinforces the commitment of the United States to The Gambia’s historic democratic transition, especially the important milestone reached during the recent presidential election,” said Risch. “When democracy is under attack, and while several West African nations have faced unconstitutional power changes, The Gambia has demonstrated what is possible when institutions and citizens commit to governing themselves through core democratic principles.”

“In December, the Gambian people showed the West African region and the world a model of a peaceful and fair election after decades of troubling dictatorship – a notable event that I hope will be replicated in the upcoming legislative election,” said Durbin. “The country’s Truth Commission also bravely presented findings and recommendations for accountability from that troubling period.”

Along with Risch and Durbin, the resolution is also cosponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

Full text of the resolution is available here.

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