Mai Fatty Invokes Britain, Germany, and China to Defend Barrow’s Third-Term Bid

By Makutu Manneh

Mai Ahmed Fatty, leader of the Gambia Moral Congress (GMC) and coordinator of the National People’s Party (NPP) Alliance Secretariat, has declared that President Adama Barrow cannot be prevented from seeking a third term in office, arguing that some of the world’s most established democracies operate without limits on how long their leaders can serve.

Speaking on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, during President Barrow’s Meet-the-People Tour in Manjai Kunda, Kanifing Municipality, Mr. Fatty rejected arguments against a third presidential term, insisting that term limits are neither a prerequisite for democratic governance nor a guarantee of economic prosperity.

He pointed to the Gambia’s colonial ties with Britain, arguing that the British parliamentary system imposes no fixed limit on the number of terms a prime minister may serve.

According to Mr. Fatty, a British prime minister can seek office repeatedly without being disqualified on the basis of previous terms in power. He questioned why presidential term limits had become such a prominent issue in The Gambia’s political debate.

Mr. Fatty also cited Canada, Australia, and Scandinavian countries as examples of developed democracies where heads of government are not generally restricted to a fixed number of terms.

“There is no scientific evidence that term limits are connected to prosperity. In fact, there is evidence that having no term limit is linked to ingenuity and prosperity,” he said.

Expanding his argument beyond parliamentary democracies, Mr. Fatty pointed to China’s removal of presidential term limits in 2018, presenting the country’s economic and geopolitical influence as evidence that restrictions on leadership tenure are not essential to national development.

He described China as a leading global power and questioned whether its population could be considered misguided for operating under a political system without presidential term limits.

Mr. Fatty also referenced Germany, describing it as Europe’s most industrialized economy and noting that its chancellors are not subject to a constitutional limit on the number of terms they may serve.

His comparisons, however, span fundamentally different political systems. Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany, and several Scandinavian countries operate parliamentary systems in which heads of government depend on legislative confidence, while China operates under a one-party political system. Those distinctions are central to debates over the role of term limits in democratic accountability.

Turning to the domestic political debate, Mr. Fatty criticized those opposing President Barrow’s pursuit of another term, accusing them of lacking an understanding of international political systems and constitutional practices.

He maintained that his position was supported by examples from around the world and dismissed suggestions that President Barrow should be barred from seeking re-election.

Mr. Fatty concluded by expressing confidence in the president’s electoral prospects, declaring that the debate over term limits would have little bearing on the outcome of the December 5 presidential election.

He insisted that President Barrow was heading toward victory and that his political momentum could not be stopped.