The Gambian lawmakers have rejected a draft constitution, with opposition leaders saying it had failed to include important stakeholders.

The draft, which was rejected on Monday, was intended to replace the 1997 constitution, which enabled former President Yahya Jammeh to consolidate his hold on power after a 1994 coup.

The measure failed to reach the necessary three-quarters of votes in the single-chamber legislature, with only 35 of the National Assembly's 56 members coming out in favour.

Urging members to rise above the political divide and support the bill, Justice Minister and Attorney General Dawda Jallow said he was hoping for a "stronger, more democratic republic that serves all our people with justice and dignity."

Presidential term limit

The Gambia's Constitutional Review Commission, set up in June 2018, published its first draft of a new constitution in November 2019.

Lawmakers allied to current President Adama Barrow rejected it in 2020 due to a retroactive clause imposing two-term presidential limits.

Four years later, the government drew up a second draft removing the retroactive clause. That bill was rejected on Monday.

If passed, it would have meant that Barrow, in power since 2017, could serve two further terms after the new constitution came into force.

Referendum

Additionally, it would have had to pass in a referendum before becoming law.

Opposition lawmakers accused those who drafted the new document of failing to take into account the viewpoints of various stakeholders, including political parties and civil society organisations.

Jammeh's 22 years in power were marked by significant rights abuses and the earmarking of state funds for the eccentric former leader's personal use, the new government and rights groups say.

He fled the country in 2017 for Equatorial Guinea after losing the election to Barrow, a relative unknown at the time, and finally conceded and handed over power.