The
transition from the outgoing to the incoming president-elect continues as a
high-powered delegation of four heads of state and a UN representative met with
the incumbent president to discuss the impasse that stalled the initial
process.
The
fact-finding delegation comprised Ecowas chairperson President Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf of Liberia, President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, President
Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana and the
special representative of the United Nations Secretary General for West Africa
and Sahel, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas.
The
delegation met with outgoing president Yahya Jammeh at State House in Banjul
before meeting president-elect Adama Barrow and his coalition team at the Coco
Ocean Hotel in Bijilo.
They
also met with the chairman and other commissioners of the Independent Electoral
Commission, and security chiefs.
The
leader of the delegation, President Johnson Sirleaf, briefly told journalists
that both the outgoing and incoming presidents and their teams promised to
maintain the peace and stability in the country as the transition process
continues.
She
said one of the key concerns of the delegation and Ecowas as a whole is to make
sure that peace continues to reign in The Gambia.
As
a fact-finding mission, she said they will submit their report to the Ecowas
Commission to be discussed at the forthcoming Summit of Ecowas Heads of State
on Saturday in Abuja, Nigeria.
The
coming of the delegation was prompted by outgoing president Jammeh’s rejection
of the result of the 1st December 2016 presidential election, which he
initially described as “most transparent and rig-proof”. He also called for a fresh election.
This
has raised some fears in the country and stalled the transition process.
In
view of the heightened tension in the country, regional leaders are calling on
Jammeh to step down in the interest of peace.
In
her statement, the Ecowas chairperson inferred that they are yet to convince
Jammeh to step down when the transition period ends in January.
“It
is not something that can happen in one day.
It is something that we have to work on,” she said.
Earlier
on Halifa Sallah, spokesperson of the coalition, said they had told the
delegation that when the transition ends and Jammeh said he would not go, there
“will be a constitutional crisis and a likely conflict in the country”.
“We
had indicated to them that there is relative peace in The Gambia today, because
of our adherence to the constitutional provision that even though
president-elect Barrow is the elected incoming president, there is a transition
period in our constitution that makes President Jammeh to stay in office until
the expiration of his term,” he said.
Mr
Sallah said they told the visiting heads of state to talk to Jammeh to open the
line of communication so that the transition can progress, and also to revoke
the declaration he made to annul the result.
“They
[the heads of state] agreed with us that this is the way forward,” he said.
“They
told us incoming president Barrow should counsel our supporters to prepare for
the transition phase, and to prepare to assume office after the expiration of
the term of office of the outgoing president.”
He
further stated that the issue of military intervention does not arise for now.
“But
if the transition phase is completed and Jammeh says he would not leave office,
then there would be a constitutional crisis where his [Jammeh’s] own government
will be an outlawed government, and that may provoke military crisis and other
crises.”
