Adama Barrow was declared the winner of the Gambian presidential election Sunday by the winning election committee, which will be his second term in as the leader of the small West African country.

Commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njay declared Barrow the winner, announcing the final results to reporters hours after rival candidates challenged partial results that gave him a decisive advantage. Opposition candidates rejected the vote, citing problems at polling stations and delays in the announcement of final results. 

Barrow responded to the protest by saying: “No one can force me to leave the presidency before 2021. I call on all Gambians, irrespective of your political divide, to put aside our political and other differences and come together as one people to work towards the development of our country.”

Barrow received 457,519 votes, while Usainu Darbo, a lawyer and longtime opponent of former President Yahya Jammeh, came in second with 238,253 votes, followed by Mama Kande, the Jammeh-backed candidate, who received 105,902 votes for her. Jammeh himself rejected an alliance with Burrows’ party and instead supported a coalition led by opposition candidate Kande, who came in third, according to official figures. On the eve of the elections, Jammeh tried to convince supporters to vote for the opposition coalition using telephone speeches broadcast during campaign rallies.

The election was seen as a crucial test of democracy in the country, which took place five years after former dictator Yahya Jammah lost to Adam Barrow in 2016 and was forcibly ousted from power. 

Barrow will lead the Gambia for another five years, although he promised to step down three years after winning the 2016 general election.

Gambia is one of Africa’s smallest countries and the 2.4m nation is among the poorest in the world. Its economy depends heavily on tourism but it has been hit by COVID-19. Illiteracy is high in Gambia so a unique voting system involving marbles is used.