In the Gambia, minister of justice tells parliament that government is seeking consensus before reintroducing draft constitution

The rejected draft constitution has not been reintroduced to the National Assembly since the government is “mediating” on some of its “contentious issues”, the attorney general and minister of justice said yesterday. Responding to a question raised by the Banjul North NAM, Modou Lamin Bah, on the status of the draft constitution and why the executive cannot still reintroduce it to the National Assembly for consideration, Minister Dawda Jallow stated: “It is important to note that the ministry is not developing a new draft; we are mediating on the contentious issues raised by honourable members during the debate of the draft constitution with the aim to reaching consensus,” he told the National Assembly. He explained that after the draft failed to pass a third reading, government realised it was as a result of “minimal emphasis” on engagement with political actors. “This gave rise to an urgent need to initiate political dialogue,” he added. “In this regard, mediation was seen as the most desirable option. The AG was given cabinet approval to negotiate or mediate the said draft with the political actors and other stakeholders.” Consequently, he said the ministry engaged traditional partners, and reached out to International IDEA, [...] to help build consensus on the “contentious issues” in the draft. “We are therefore partnering with them in supporting the mediation process among the political actors towards the success of the draft constitution,” he added.
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