By Abdoulie John
Gambian President has endorsed the restoration of presidential term limits in his country’s constitution.
“I hold the view that a two-term limit for head of state should be entrenched in the new constitution,” President Adama Barrow said on Monday as he presided over the swearing in ceremony of members of the Constitutional Review Commission at State House in Banjul.
President Barrow is leading the West African nation to recover from the shadows of two-decade long Jammeh dictatorship which culminated in erosion of democracy in a country that was touted the champion of democracy, rule of law and human rights. The hallmarks of Yahya Jammeh’s Gambia had been gross violations of human rights violations and system attacks on the Judiciary, the Legislature and the Fourth Estate.
But President Barrow is committed in both words and actions to right the wrongs of the country’s past. His aim is to make sure that Gambians have a Constitution that stands the test of time.
The presidential term-limits was removed in 2005 by Dictator Jammeh, a step many observers described as a “blatant attempt to cement his power.” The exiled former leader also replaced the two-round system with a single round system, paving the way for the former governing Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction party to win elections with a simple majority.
One of executives touting President Barrow’s two-term limits is Justice Minister.
“I believe it is what the generality of Gambians want,” Aboubacarr Tambadou told this reporter.
He said the Gambian leader’s announcement demonstrates his commitment to building a New Gambia based upon the highest standards of democracy, democratic norms and values.
“The ball is now in the court of the Constitutional Review Commission to ensure that it is reflected in our new constitution,” Minister Tambadou added.
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