Sait Matty Jaw, co-founder and Executive Director of the Center for Research and Policy Development (CRPD)
By Buba Gagigo
A recent Afrobarometer survey indicates that 67% of Gambians “agree” or “strongly agree” that the rejected 2020 Draft Constitution should be reintroduced in the National Assembly. However, there are concerns about the lack of commitment from political parties.
The survey, conducted in April-May 2024, shows that two-thirds of Gambians believe the 2020 Draft Constitution should be brought back to the National Assembly for amendments.
“More than half believe the National Assembly was wrong in rejecting the 2020 draft Constitution. Among key amendments that citizens are advocating in a reintroduced Constitution is the introduction of presidential term limits, a provision absent from the current 1997 Constitution. Survey findings show strong and consistent public support for imposing a two-term limit on the presidency,” the survey shows.
On August 14, the government announced the gazetting of Gambia’s 2024 Constitution, reaffirming its commitment to securing a new Constitution for the country. Key findings from the Afrobarometer survey include:
* Seven out of 10 Gambians (71%) express support for a new national Constitution, while a quarter (24%) say there is no need for a new Constitution (Figure 1).
* Only minorities believe that the ruling National People’s Party (29%) and the
opposition United Democratic Party (34%) are committed to giving the country a new Constitution (Figure 2).* Two-thirds (67%) of Gambians “agree” or “strongly agree” that the rejected 2020 Constitution should be reintroduced to the National Assembly for amendment. Only three in 10 (29%) say the National Assembly was right to reject the Constitution proposed in 2020 (Figure 3).
* Almost nine out of 10 citizens (86%) favour a two-term limit on presidents (Figure 4). Support for a presidential two-term limit has been consistently high since 2018
(Figure 5).
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Since 1999, nine survey rounds have been completed in up to 42 countries, with Round 10 launched in January 2024. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the respondent’s preferred language.
In the Gambia, the Afrobarometer team, led by the Center for Research and Policy Development, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,200 adults in April-May 2024. This sample size provides country-level results with a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Previous surveys were conducted in the Gambia in 2018, 2021, and 2022.