Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – In a concerted effort to address the long-standing disenfranchisement of Gambians living abroad, the Ministry of Justice, in partnership with GK Partners and the National Assembly Joint Committee for the Elections Bill, is hosting a pivotal one-day retreat for National Assembly Members (NAMs) and key stakeholders on Saturday, May 25. This event will facilitate technical and consultative discussions on implementing Diaspora Voting and Representation.

The retreat will enable NAMs to engage deeply with the practical, operational, and logistical aspects of diaspora voting. This initiative builds on continuous engagements that began in 2017 and is crucial as the National Assembly prepares to debate the Elections Bill in June 2024.

“The discussions and engagement during this retreat are expected to resolve any actual or potential hurdles related to diaspora voting,” stated Hon. Dawda A. Jallow, Minister of Justice. “Our goal is to achieve national consensus and actualize the constitutional, electoral, democratic, and human rights of the Gambian diaspora.”

Since the introduction of the national policy in 2017, which designated the diaspora as the Eighth Region of The Gambia, there has been a concerted effort to ensure that Gambians abroad can exercise their voting rights and be represented in the National Assembly. Despite this, the diaspora has been denied these rights for 27 years.

At the Fifth Stake in the Nation Forum (SNF5) on January 8, 2022, President Adama Barrow reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to rectifying this enduring injustice. “With humility and purposefulness, I urge all institutions of government and state, and all stakeholders and development partners to redouble efforts to make diaspora voting a reality,” President Barrow declared.

Prof. Gibril Faal, Director of GK Partners and the MSDG Project, emphasized the urgency of ending the disenfranchisement of approximately 150,000 eligible voters in the diaspora. “Seven years after the end of dictatorship and the return to democracy, it is urgent and imperative that The Gambia end the disenfranchisement of our citizens abroad,” he said.

Key actions necessary to actualize diaspora voting and representation include passing the Elections Bill, which already incorporates provisions for diaspora voting, demarcating diaspora constituencies by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), and passing the Constitution Amendment (Diaspora Representation) Bill. Additionally, the IEC must issue rules and regulations for diaspora voting and register diaspora voters.