Barrow promises new Constitution with absolute majority
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Gambiana
Gambian President Adama Barrow promises a new Constitution if his party secures an absolute majority in the National Assembly. He says previous attempts failed for lack of sufficient parliamentary support and calls for consensus among political parties, according to an interview with QTV reported by Gambiana.
Gambian President Adama Barrow has promised a new Constitution if his party secures an absolute majority in the National Assembly. He told QTV that the lack of sufficient parliamentary support had prevented previous attempts at constitutional reform.
Adama Barrow explained that MPs vote independently and that constitutional reform requires consensus among the parties. The first attempt to table the draft failed when his party had no MPs in the National Assembly. The second was also rejected despite his party holding a majority, because it did not have an absolute majority, he said.
The president notably accused MPs from the United Democratic Party (UDP), Gambia's opposition party, of voting against the draft. He said his government would have put the Constitution to a referendum if it had been able to act alone, Gambiana reports.
