The Gambia Parliament has rejected diaspora voting, which has sparked widespread condemnation among Gambians both at home and abroad.

After a marathon debate in parliament, the voting was put to test, which saw 25 National Assembly Members, entirely from NPP and its ally NRP, as well as nominated and Independent members voting against it. Some 14 NAMs, mainly from the opposition UDP, voted in favour of the bill. 

In response, Dawda A. Jallow, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, told lawmakers cited section 39(1) as a fundamental clause that requires individuals to be registered in a National Assembly constituency

“But the diaspora is not currently included in any constituency. Even if the clause is passed, the IEC will not be able to implement it until the diaspora is assigned a constituency. This would require an amendment to Section 88 to increase the number of constituencies.

“t’s a dilemma, do we give the authority to create constituencies now, or wait for constitutional changes? The draft constitution was expected to address these issues, but until the constitution is amended, the diaspora cannot be registered,” he said.

By Adama Makasuba