The coalition that has started as a unified force that caused a political tsunami in Gambia is 2016 is currently in disarray. Some parties and individual who were part of the coalition’s making now feel alienated. Barely a week ago, Ousainou Darboe the leader of biggest political party in the coalition, United Democratic Party, told Kerr Fatou that his party is expelled from the coalition.
A coalition of political parties and independent candidates that defeated former president Yahya Jammeh have began talks at Kairaba Beach hotel after over two years of inactivity.
Delegates have come from all parties except the Peoples’ Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism.
It is however unclear if the PDOIS will attend the meeting.
Meanwhile, an independent candidate representing Basse at the National Assembly, Muhammed Magassy, have told Kerr Fatou that the meeting will review the coalition agenda.
Magassy said one of the pressing issues that will be discussed is whether President Adama Barrow should stay in power for three years as spelt out in their agreement or five years as stated in the constitution.
Barrow’s ascension to presidency was backed by seven political parties and one independent presidential hopeful and two independent National Assembly members.
The political leaders have drafted a roadmap that guided the establishment of the coalition and President Barrow resigned and contested as an independent flag bearer.
Among their expressed intentions was for the president to resign after three years and elections to be held within three months.
They also discussed the establishment of a coalition secretariat that the President will relied on for appointments and sacking of coalition stakeholders.
However, since the election was won, there was no established coalition secretariat and the president began as an executive president, thus the beginning of the end of the “coalition agreement”.
In fact, the Gambian leader was quoted as saying that he is the president and he does not have to consult anyone if he will stay for three or five years.
However, coalition stakeholders at Kairaba remain optimistic that whatever their conclusions are will be respected by Barrow. It is though clear that they could only rely on the president’s goodwill here to implement their meeting’s conclusion.