Halifa Sallah on Thursday casted his mind back to the coalition’s plan to prevent its candidate from becoming a political monster should he become president.
Opposition parties including Mr Sallah’s PDOIS in 2016 formed an alliance which defeated former President Yahya Jammeh. The deal was for it candidate to run a transitional government three years and resign but some parties shortly after the coalition’s triumphed insisted on the candidate (President Adama Barrow) to serve for five years.
Speaking to reporters on last weekend’s by-elections and President Barrow’s growing political strength, Mr Sallah explained: “…we will not be talking about incumbency and its power. But that agenda was derailed. From the very beginning they claimed that the president should move to what is a constitutional mandate.
“Yes, it is a constitutional mandate that when a person is elected, you’re elected for a five-year term. So that is an acquired right. You cannot abrogate that right. Any attempt to do so means that you’re overthrowing a government. But if you decide to reduce your term voluntarily through resignation, that is also very constitutional and lawful and very normal.
“And that was what was anticipated and Gambia would have been the darling of the world, an example in the world. But others felt that the president should continue five years and that continued until crises in the cabinet and eventually that same president decided to establish a party and that is the reality, that is the architecture of the current Gambian situation.
“Where you have an incumbent with a political party contesting elections. So all the myths should now disappear for any political party to think that you have the authority that you had yesterday. Each must realise that this is a new situation, requiring a new crafting of strategies and tactics.”
