Halifa
Sallah, the Coalition spokesperson, has said if the outgoing President Yahya
Jammeh refuses to leave office, there will be a constitutional crisis when his
government is outlawed.
He
also said the military, which is established to be the state institution and which
owes allegiance to the state and the people of The Gambia, should also accept
constitutional changes and a transfer of power.
Speaking
to journalists on Tuesday at the Coco Ocean Hotel, Halifa Sallah said that if
the military refused to recognize the legitimate authority of president-elect
Barrow, that would create more fear and a problem for the country.
He
said there is also the issue of security, because what normally happens in a
transition is for the sitting president to level the ground for access to state
power by the incoming president.
This,
he noted, can start with a dialogue, to provide the security, state
institutions and offices, in normal circumstances, for the incoming president
by the sitting president.
The
Gambia has never changed a government through the ballot box, for about 51
years, and it was now for all the parties to have a dialogue and cooperate as
they develop the right mechanisms for a smooth change of government.
“The
issue of security is very paramount,” he said, adding that all parties should
ensure that the security apparatus remains loyal in order to constitute
authority.
They
must also state their commitment that when an incoming government assumes power
they would be loyal to them, he said.
Mr
Sallah made it clear that the President-elect, Adama Barrow, was “not receiving
any security from the state”, as of now.
