Latest update February 7th, 2025 10:13 AM
Jul 05, 2019 News
There appears to be significant headway in talks between the Government and the Opposition over the selection of a new chairman for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Face-off: The meeting at the Ministry of the Presidency yesterday between Government and the Opposition on a selection process for a new GECOM chairman (Ministry of the Presidency photo)
The process is critical, as Guyana prepares for early general elections following an Opposition no-confidence motion tabled December 21st 2018 that was carried, and which sparked months of standoffs and court cases that tested the country’s Constitution to the limits.
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) recently ruled that the process to select Justice (ret’d) James Patterson, the last chairman of GECOM was flawed. He resigned last week in keeping with the CCJ ruling, triggering a process to search for a new chairman.
Yesterday, President David Granger and his team met Bharrat Jagdeo, the Opposition Leader, who led a team for a critical meeting at the Ministry of the Presidency.
At the centre of the talks is the process that will be used to choose a new chairman.
A new list will be presented within days to the president with representatives from both sides to “hammer out” the names of the nominees, it was disclosed.
It was agreed that the Government will be able to make submissions of names to the list, a critical talking point that observers say will reduce any delays.
Accompanying the President to the meeting were Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams; Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally; Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams; Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence; Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman and Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon.
Jagdeo’s team included Anil Nandlall, Irfaan Ali, Bishop Juan Edghill and Gail Teixeira.
According to the president, in a press conference after, in accordance with the judgment of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), and given the need to ensure that the GECOM is allowed to function in an uninterrupted manner, Jagdeo was invited to meet with him yesterday.
Granger explained that there were a number of issues, but the main one was to seek agreement on the means to be adopted on the selection of a new chairman.
The hour-long discussions focused on the means, not the nomination, for selecting a GECOM chairman.
“We feel that until the chairman is appointed the work of the commission will not be able to move ahead as quickly as possible.”
According to Granger, it was made clear that there was deep interest in credible elections that would see advice by a Chairman of the GECOM.
Insisting that the country is bound by the Constitution’s Article 161, which speaks of the selection, the president stressed that there is no variation of, nor questions on the validity of that Article.
“It was really an obedience to the last injunction by that court (CCJ) that I decided to meet the Leader of the Opposition to decide on a way forward. This has been done. We have agreed to meet again.”
WITHIN DAYS
According to Director-General Harmon, the meeting agreed that the process will be completed within the shortest possible time.
“What that means is the two sides will have to be engaged in what the CCJ says will be hammering out the names of persons to arrive at a list of six which the Leader of the Opposition will present to His Excellency and from which he will choose one person to be named the Chairman of the Elections Commission.”
According to Harmon, this submission of names from Jagdeo will also include any suggestions which the President will have for inclusion.
“And once the two sides sit and agree on the list of six, then that is the process with which we move forward. That list will go to the president for him to choose.”
According to the Director-General, there were two suggestions tabled on moving the list forward.
One which both sides’ field advisors will sit and hammer out names based on submissions from both sides.
“The other is for the president and opposition leader to sit and hammer it out by themselves. These are two approaches.”
NO PATTERSON
According to the President, the Opposition Leader is free to use names from three lists that were rejected. The president, lauding Patterson’s work at GECOM, disclosed that he may not be heading in that direction of submitting his name, taking into account the recent clashes within the Commission, where there were walkouts and harsh public statements.
Rather, the new chairman must be one who enjoys the confidence of both sides.
The Government was unable to say if an agreement can happen before July 12th when the CCJ is expected to issue consequential orders on the court cases which will set the tone on what happens next.
Granger stressed that he remains of the view that when the nominees are not in conformity with the Constitution, the president has the option which is clearly stated, of acting in his own considered judgment, if he feels that the names and list submitted were not in accordance with the criteria laid down in the Constitution.
“In the second instance, he can find somebody who is fit and proper. In one instance, I was asked what I meant by that and I did so, but I am not allowed to do so under the Constitution. I only made the comment because I was invited to do so. As long as the names conform with the Constitution, I would have no problem.”
Meanwhile, according to Jagdeo, in statements to reporters in front of the ministry, it was agreed that within days the names would be submitted with the hope that there is “good faith” negotiations for a new chairman.
HOUSE-TO-HOUSE
Jagdeo said that it was agreed that the president can initiate names, but the list of six nominees remains the Constitutional responsibility of the Opposition Leader.
He disclosed that the starting point will be the 18 names that were on lists submitted to the president before Patterson was unilaterally selected.
According to Jagdeo, he will also be writing the President on other critical issues which include house-to-house registration which Government is insisting is needed to sanitise a voters’ list that has thousands of dead persons and other incorrect entries.
The Opposition Leader said he wants to sit with the President and point out how elections can be held in three months, without house-to-house, using a claims and objections period to sanitise the list.
Jagdeo made clear that if there is no wish to engage, it would be concluded that there is a ploy to delay elections using house-to-house registrations. Any such registrations will push elections to next year, Jagdeo said.
The Opposition Leader’s party, the People Progressive Party, was in government for 23 years before losing in May 2015 to the Coalition.
The fight to take back control would come as Guyana prepares to start oil production.
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