By Arret Jatta
The opposition United Democratic Party (UDP has accused the governing National People’s Party whose NAMs voted to remove Clause 14 from the elections bill, of attempting to suppress voices of Gambians abroad.
The NPP explained that the decision of the NAMs to remove Clause 14 was not made out of indifference to diaspora voting but was based on a careful consideration of the constitutional requirements for constituency-based registration and voting.
“The Constitution of The Gambia, particularly Section 39(1), ties voter registration to National Assembly constituencies, which are geographically defined. The current legal framework does not provide for non-geographical constituencies or a mechanism for diaspora voting without first establishing clear guidelines for constituency demarcation,” the NPP argued.
The ruling party also accused the UDP of being hypocritical by citing their own inaction on diaspora voting when they held a majority in the National Assembly from 2018 to 2022.
“During their tenure, the UDP had the opportunity to prioritise diaspora voting and introduce the necessary legislative reforms. Instead, they chose to focus on other electoral amendments that served their political interests, while ignoring the rights of Gambians abroad.
The UDP’s sudden advocacy for diaspora voting now that they are in the minority is a clear indication that their concern is not genuine but rather a political manoeuvre to score points against the NPP. Their attempts to influence the NAMs on this issue are disingenuous, given their failure to act when they had the power to do so,” the NPP argued.
But the UDP said the NPP’s attempt to shift blame for their decision to remove the diaspora voting clause is not only misleading but also a clear indication of their lack of genuine commitment to inclusive democracy.
“The UDP firmly believes that every Gambian, whether at home or abroad, has an inalienable right to participate in the democratic process and to have their voice heard through the ballot box,” the release further said.
“President Barrow promised the Gambian people a new constitution in his 2016 Manifesto and reaffirmed this commitment during the launching of the Constitutional Review Commission, which the UDP supported. But Surprisingly, National Assembly Members who were championing the Barrow Agenda and NRP National Assembly Members voted against the 2020 Draft Constitution whilst all UDP National Assembly Members voted for it. The truth is that the NPP fears the diaspora vote because they know that the overwhelming majority of Gambians living abroad do not support their party or its policies,” the release added.
It also said that the UDP finds it disingenuous for the NPP to claim that their decision to remove Clause 14 was based on constitutional and logistical challenges.
Furthermore the UDP called on NPP to stop playing politics with the rights of Gambians and to take immediate steps to reinstate the diaspora voting clause in the elections bill.
