The National Assembly Member for Brikama North has confirmed that parliament deliberately delayed the tabling of the controversial 2024 draft constitution to create room for more dialogue. The Gambia’s constitutional reform process has faced significant setbacks, particularly with the rejection of the 2020 draft constitution by the National Assembly.
The current draft has been packaged to replace the much-amended 1997 Constitution and includes key democratic reforms, such as presidential term limits and enhanced rights for marginalised groups.
The country’s aspiration for a new constitution was rejected on 22 September, 2022, by 23 NAMs aligned with President Barrow. The 2020 bill was killed at the second reading, which is the stage where the principles of the bill are discussed. It was not given a chance to breathe. It failed to secure the necessary three-quarters majority, with only 31 votes in favour against 23 opposed, primarily due to concerns from ruling party members about limiting executive power and retroactive term limits for President Barrow.
Addressing a meeting on Friday organised by the Westminster Foundation to facilitate direct interface between the media, civil society and parliamentarians, Alhagie S Darboe said the National Assembly is aware of the peculiarities surrounding the current draft and is willing to create room for dialogue.
“This is why we have decided to table the 2024 draft constitution on the 23rd of December, which will be the last sitting of the assembly for this session for its first reading. That means we can only have the second reading during the next session, which would be around March. We believe this will create ample time for dialogue, or else the situation as it is, there is no hope that it would survive,” he said. Darboe argued that consensus building is essential among members.
“As it is right now, it would be very difficult for the draft to have the required support at the National Assembly,” he said.
The draft, criticised for diluting human rights protections and centralising power, contrasts with the 2020 draft that emphasised inclusivity and accountability.
