Jonathan’s mission to The Gambia unites parties on new constitution

The supporting role being played by former president Goodluck Jonathan towards reviving the stalled constitutional review process in The Gambia has begun to bear fruits with the political parties and parliamentarians determining to cooperate and resolve the challenges standing in the way of adopting a new constitution for the people of the country.

Jonathan, who was invited to The Gambia last December returned to Banjul in the first week of January to facilitate the consultations for advancing the inter-party dialogue towards garnering the required parliamentary support for a draft constitution meant to give the people of the country a new republic.

A statement from Adebayo Olukoshi, boss of International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the agency that provides the main technical backup to the mission, noted that Jonathan’s intervention has succeeded in producing the trade-offs among the stakeholders that made it possible for them to agree on many of the points debated and how to move the process forward.  

He said the concessions “provide a strong foundation on which to build further in order to give the people of The Gambia the constitutional framework they deserve for advancing their democratic aspirations,” adding that next steps towards the desired outcome will be pursued over the coming days and weeks.

The former president is said to have been able to inspire the kind of confidence and trust that created the atmosphere for the government, political party leaders, parliamentarians, civil society leaders and other stakeholders in The Gambia to return to the negotiating table and reconsider the draft constitution.