REPORT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW COMMISSION ON THE DRAFT CONSTITUTION FOR THE THIRD REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA Pursuant to sections 6 (1) and 21 (1) of the Constitutional Review Commission Act, 2017 Futurelec Building, Bertil Harding Highway, Kotu – Kanifing Municipality – The Gambia Tel: +220 446-0745 Email: [email protected]/[email protected] Twitter: @crcgambia LinkedIn/Facebook: Constitutional Review Commission, The Gambia 30 March 2020 SIGNATURE PAGE Hon. Justice Cherno Sulayman Jallow, QC (JSC) - SIGNED Chairperson Hawa Kuru Sisay-Sabally - SIGNED Vice Chairperson Amie Joof-Cole - SIGNED Commissioner Dr. Melville O. George - SIGNED Commissioner Fatoumata Jallow - SIGNED Commissioner Gaye Sowe - SIGNED Commissioner Janet Ramatoulie Sallah-Njie - SIGNED Commissioner Lamin S. Camara - SIGNED Commissioner Salimatta E. T. Touray - SIGNED Commissioner Yankuba Dibba - SIGNED Commissioner Yankuba Manjang - SIGNED Commissioner TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................................................................ 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................................................. 2 FOREWORD BY CRC CHAIRPERSON .................................................................................................................... 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................... 9 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................. 19 2. CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF THE GAMBIA .................................................................................. 20 2.1. COLONIAL PERIOD .......................................................................................................................................................... 20 2.2. POST-INDEPENDENCE ..................................................................................................................................................... 22 2.3. THE 1997 CONSTITUTION ............................................................................................................................................. 23 3. THE CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW COMMISSION ................................................................................ 24 3.1. COMPOSITION AND MANDATE OF THE CRC ........................................................................................................... 25 3.2. FORMATION OF THE CRC SECRETARIAT ................................................................................................................. 26 3.3. MOBILISATION AND INCEPTION .................................................................................................................................. 27 4. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................................ 30 4.1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................................... 30 4.2 PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS .................................................................................................................................................... 30 4.2.1. Consultations in The Gambia ............................................................................................................................... 31 4.2.2. External Consultations ........................................................................................................................................... 35 4.3 DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSES .............................................................................................................................. 35 4.3.1 Quality Assurance (QA) ......................................................................................................................................... 36 4.3.2 Data Coding ............................................................................................................................................................... 36 4.3.3 Data Analysis (Quantitative and Qualitative) ................................................................................................ 36 4.4 RESEARCH PROGRAMME ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 4.5 TECHNICAL COMMITTEES ................................................................................................................................................... 37 4.6 MEDIA AND OUTREACH .......................................................................................................................................................... 37 4.7 MONITORING AND EVALUATION ...................................................................................................................................... 38 5. DRAFTING OF THE CONSTITUTION AND REPORT .......................................................................... 38 5.1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................................... 38 5.2. PREPARATION OF THE DRAFT CONSTITUTION AND THE REPORT .............................................................................. 39 5.3. PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS ON THE PROPOSED DRAFT CONSTITUTION ...................................................................... 40 5.4. PREPARATION OF THE DRAFT REPORT ............................................................................................................................... 40 5.5. FINALISATION OF THE DRAFT CONSTITUTION AND THE REPORT .............................................................................. 40 6. PROVISIONS OF THE DRAFT CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA ...... 41 6.1. PREAMBLE ............................................................................................................................................................................ 41 6.1.1. Dimensions of the Issue................................................................................................................................................ 41 6.1.2. Current State of the Law on the Issue ..................................................................................................................... 41 6.1.3. Submissions Received, Analyses and Decisions .................................................................................................. 42 6.1.4. Provisions of the Draft Constitution ........................................................................................................................ 42 6.2. CHAPTER I - THE REPUBLIC AND SOVEREIGNTY OF THE PEOPLE ............................................ 43 6.2.1. Dimensions of the Issue................................................................................................................................................ 43 6.2.2. Current State of the Law on the Issue ..................................................................................................................... 43 6.2.3. Submissions Received, Analyses and Decisions .................................................................................................. 43 6.2.4. Provisions of the Draft Constitution ........................................................................................................................ 44 6.3. CHAPTER II - THE CONSTITUTION AND THE LAWS ................................................................................ 45 6.3.1. Dimensions of the Issue................................................................................................................................................ 45 6.3.2. Current State of the Law on the Issue ..................................................................................................................... 46 6.3.3. Submissions Received, Analyses and Decisions .................................................................................................. 46 6.3.4. Provisions of the Draft Constitution ........................................................................................................................ 46 6.4. CHAPTER III - NATIONAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES ............................................................................ 47 6.4.1. Dimensions of the Issue................................................................................................................................................ 47 6.4.2. Current State of the Law on the Issue ..................................................................................................................... 47 6.4.3. Submissions Received, Analyses and Decisions .................................................................................................. 47 6.4.4. Provisions of the Draft Constitution ........................................................................................................................ 48 6.5. CHAPTER IV - CITIZENSHIP .....................................................................................................................................