Lack of constitutional reform stalls The Gambia’s democratic transition

The Gambia's democratic transition is stalled due to the National Assembly's 2020 rejection of a draft constitution that would have limited President Adama Barrow to two terms and curtailed presidential powers. Because the country continues to operate under the 1997 'Jammeh Constitution', Barrow remains legally eligible for a third term in 2026, a prospect that threatens to deepen political tensions and potentially necessitate ECOWAS intervention.

• The National Assembly rejected a draft constitution in September 2020 that was intended to serve as the foundation for broader reforms in the security sector, judicial system, and transitional justice.
• A primary point of contention is the application of presidential term limits; the draft constitution limited the president to two five-year terms, which would make President Adama Barrow ineligible to run in 2026. While the opposition United Democratic Party supports this, Barrow's allies argue that term limits should only apply from the date a new constitution is adopted.
• The draft constitution proposed significant changes to governance, including requiring a university degree and an absolute majority of votes for presidential victory, granting diaspora citizens voting rights, and subjecting presidential nominations for key security and judicial posts to National Assembly approval.
• Because The Gambia still operates under the 1997 Constitution, President Barrow is legally eligible for another term. A potential third-term candidacy in 2026 could destabilize the country and may require intervention from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

APA

Kwarkye, S., & Daffe, S. (2024). Lack of constitutional reform stalls The Gambia’s democratic transition. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/lack-of-constitutional-reform-stalls-the-gambia-s-democratic-transition

Chicago

Kwarkye, Sampson, and Seydou Daffe. Lack of constitutional reform stalls The Gambia’s democratic transition. Institute for Security Studies, 2024. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/lack-of-constitutional-reform-stalls-the-gambia-s-democratic-transition.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kwarkye |first1=Sampson |last2=Daffe |first2=Seydou |title=Lack of constitutional reform stalls The Gambia’s democratic transition |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=21 May 2024 |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/lack-of-constitutional-reform-stalls-the-gambia-s-democratic-transition |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kwarkye2024lack, author = {Kwarkye, Sampson and Daffe, Seydou}, title = {{Lack of constitutional reform stalls The Gambia’s democratic transition}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2024}, month = may, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/lack-of-constitutional-reform-stalls-the-gambia-s-democratic-transition}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }