Ousainou Darboe, leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party, has warned the Barrow administration that tampering with the original draft constitution will force his party lawmakers to vote against it in parliament.

Darboe’s warning comes after the Gambia government announced plans yesterday to table the draft constitution in parliament after it was rejected by lawmakers in 2021.

Reacting to the re-gazette of the draft constitution, Darboe described the action as “unfortunate”, adding that the Barrow government didn’t consult other political parties and civil society organisations.

He said: “when the draft constitution came, it provided for diaspora voting [and] we all voted for it. Every member of the United Democratic Party in that house voted for it. It’s them [the ruling party] who have voted against it. [But] had we voted against it, then they could’ve held us accountable.

“There has been no consultation with us which I think is unfortunate. It shouldn’t be consultation with UDP but consultation with all other political parties and even the CSOs. This is a national document, it shouldn’t be kept close to their chest. But one thing that I know is our position [sic] that is, if any provision is omitted from the original draft, we will vote against it,” he added.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba