By Ndey Sowe
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the former President of the ECOWAS Commission and head of ECOWAS Electoral Mission in the Gambia, has encouraged incoming members of the National Assembly to reopen the process of constitutional and legal reforms to ensure that Gambia’s democratic transition is hinged on strong legal and institutional frameworks, which are fundamental for the completion of the transition process.
Chambas was speaking on Monday, 11th of April 2022, during a press conference on the ECOWAS preliminary statement on the legislative elections at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre in Bijilo.
“We urge the Gambian Government to prioritise initiatives to strengthen national reconciliation and social cohesion as The Gambia continues its trajectory of democratic transition,” he implored.
He appealed to all the candidates in the legislative elections to respect the results of the election and urge them to resort to legal channels to resolve any electoral dispute if necessary.
“The ECOWAS Mission wishes to congratulate the winners who emerged from this process and implore the incoming members of the National Assembly to put the country’s interest first in addressing the challenges of economic recovery, national reconciliation, and consolidation of democratic governance in an inclusive manner,” Chambas said; that the mission commended the IEC, the security forces and all stakeholders involved in the management of the electoral process, and acknowledged the great political maturity that Gambians have displayed throughout this process.
“The ECOWAS observer Mission, through the office of the Permanent Representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission in Gambia, will continue to monitor the immediate post-electoral developments and the election dispute resolution processes that may follow. The mission thanks to the authorities for the measures they have taken to facilitate the deployment of observers for the election of 9 April 2022,” he reiterated.
