Opposition party calls out ECOWAS commission for endorsing the Gambian government’s draft constitution review

Gambia’s President Adama Barrow. Photo credit: Chatham House.

Following the recent announcement by the Gambian government that it had reviewed and re-gazetted the country’s 2020 draft constitution that had been rejected by parliament, one of the country’s opposition parties, the Gambia For All (GFA) party, has called out the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission for “hastily” endorsing the decision.

The GFA said that the draft that has been submitted for review by the Barrow government is “very different” from the 2020 draft that had been overwhelmingly approved by Gambians but was rejected by parliament.

In its statement, the party insisted that there was ample evidence to suggest that President Adama Barrow was “a difficult and unreliable partner in furthering Gambia’s post dictatorship democratic aspirations” because, it alleged, he had endorsed the vote against the “much anticipated and highly regarded 2020 draft constitution by the Gambian legislature, hence depriving Gambians of an opportunity to dump the much maligned 1997 constitution, which is heavily skewed in favour of the Executive.”

The party suggested that the government should have gone back to the Gambian people for further consultation on the way forward rather than its time, and barely two years before the next presidential election rather than arbitrarily taking a decision to publish the 2024 draft constitution in the Official Gambia Gazette.

“After reviewing the recently gazetted so-called new draft constitution, it turned out to be very different from the 2020 draft, which was painstakingly prepared by the well-respected Constitutional Review Commission,” the statement said.

The party said “The ECOWAS commission should have been aware of the potential consequences of executive tampering with the constitution to further an agenda that does not tally with the wishes and aspirations of the majority of its citizens. We all wish to live in a progressive, peaceful and democratic Gambia, with strong institutions, governed by a constitution approved by the majority of Gambian people.”

The ECOWAS commission, the GFA explained, is aware of the challenges the country has faced since its post dictatorship transition and should have sought clarity on the adopted draft constitution.

The challenges, the party said, included President Barrow’s reneging on the agreed 3-year transition period, opting to stay in power for the full term of 5 years, even putting himself up as a post transition presidential candidate in the 2021 general elections, which was also “against the political agreement painstakingly hammered out at the 2016 coalition negotiations.”

While emphasising on its admiration and respect for the ECOWAS commission, it insisted that the regional body acted “rather hastily in endorsing the actions of the Barrow administration in this regard.”

It also extolled the mutually beneficial relationships between ECOWAS and the people of The Gambia, highlighting the pivotal role played by the regional body in ensuring that the will of the Gambian people prevailed during the post 2016 election crisis. It also acknowledged the institution’s continued role in maintaining peace and stability during and after the country’s transition period.