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The Gambian presidential election of 2016 was held on 1 December 2016. In a surprise result, opposition candidate Adama Barrow defeated long-term incumbent Yahya Jammeh. If the outcome of the election is followed by a transfer of power, the election will mark the first change of presidency in The Gambia since a military coup in 1994, and the first transfer of power by popular election since independence from the UK in 1965. On 2 December, before the final results were announced, Jammeh graciously conceded defeat, shocking a populace that had expected him to retain power. BBC News called it "one of the biggest election upsets West Africa has ever seen". The final official results showed Barrow winning a 43.3% plurality, achieving a 3.7% margin of victory over Jammeh's 39.6% – with a third candidate, Mammah Kandeh, receiving 17.1% of the votes. Following the election, 19 opposition prisoners were released, including Ousainou Darboe, the leader of Barrow's United Democratic Party (UDP). There was widespread celebration of the result by the opposition, along with some caution over whether the transition would proceed without incident. On 9 December 2016, Jammeh announced that he was rejecting the results of the election, and called for a new election. Troops were deployed in Banjul, the capital city, and Serekunda, the country's largest city. Jammeh's rejection of the results was condemned by several external bodies, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which met in emergency session and issued a unanimous statement saying that Jammeh must peacefully hand over power.