Re-elected Gambian President Barrow promises new constitution, term limits

Gambia’s newly re-elected president, Adama Barrow, said on Tuesday that 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 comfortably won re-election on Sunday, despite challenges from some opposition candidates who initially rejected the results. Election observers have said the poll was conducted fairly. read more

In his first news conference since the election, 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.

Barrow, 56, will officially begin his second five-year term on Jan. 19, after being elected with 53% of Saturday’s vote under the current simple-majority system.