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Gambia's Jammeh can stay in office for three months national assembly

Gambia's President Al Hadji Yahya Jammeh attends the plenary session of the Africa-South America Summit on Margarita Island September 27, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Files

BANJUL (Reuters) - Gambia's National Assembly has passed a resolution to allow President Yahya Jammeh to stay in office for three months from Wednesday, state television said. Jammeh lost an election in December to opposition leader Adama Barrow and is due to hand over power on Thursday, but the veteran leader has declared a state of emergency and says he will not step down before a court hears his election challenge. (Writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; Editing by Dominic Evans)