Will There Be Referendum On The Draft Constitution?

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QUESTION OF THE DAY

The draft Constitution came into being as a result of the implementation of the Constitutional Review Constitution Act. Section 21(1) of the Act indicates what the Commission should do at the end of the exercise of finalising the content of the draft. The section reads:

“The Commission shall, upon the completion of its work, submit a Constitution and a report thereon (in originals) to the President.”

The draft constitution however touches on many entrenched clauses of the 1997 Constitution which cannot be amended without a referendum. Gambians must therefore prepare themselves for a referendum on the draft Constitution. Debate is rife on whether the vast majority will or will not support the draft Constitution. Foroyaa will re-iterate that if a draft is rejected, the 1997 constitution will continue to be the constitution of the republic and the Gambian people will fail to usher in a third republic. This month provides the last chance for Gambians to impact on the draft.