President elect- Adama Barrow, will be sworn in today, Thursday after beating long time opposition leader Lawyer Ousainou Darboe of the United Democratic Party in last year December 4 presidential election.
The 56-year-old former Real Estate developer will take the oath of office at a ceremony taking place in Independence Stadium, Bakau this morning.
Hassan Bubacarr Jallow , the Chief Justice will administer the oaths of office, and allegiance to Adama Barrow before the lawmakers, seven visiting Heads of State, and other high-ranking local and international guests and observers are to witness the swearing-in ceremony.
Among the Heads of State expected are the Presidents of Togo, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau and Ghana. The leaders of Nigeria, Senegal and Liberia are also attending.
“My re-election is a demonstration of the trust Gambians have reposed in me in appreciation of the achievements chalked during my first term, and for the considerable amount of work left for the next four years,” Barrow said in his victory speech.
He also said his government plans to draft a new constitution that would introduce presidential term limits, but fell short of saying whether he personally would seek additional mandates.
Barrow said that in addition to imposing term limits, a new constitution would restructure the polling process to include potential runoff polls if no candidate wins 50% of the votes.
“I promise Gambians and the world that my government will introduce a new constitution, which will include term limits and absolute majority,” Barrow said.
Barrow, 56, will officially begin his second five-year term today January 19, after being elected with 53% of December 4, 2021 vote under the current simple-majority system.
He did not detail whether such term limits would be retroactive, or whether they would permit him to seek additional terms after his current mandate ends.
The current constitution, drafted in 1997 at the dawn of former President Yahya Jammeh’s oppressive 22-year rule, does not include term limits. Jammeh lost to Barrow in 2016 and was later forced into exile.
Gambia’s parliament last year rejected a revised constitution that included a two-term limit, which also would have prevented Barrow from using the new charter to reset his term count.
