GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – President David Granger, who is due to return from Cuba where he has been undergoing medical treatment, is expected to name a date for fresh regional and general election “shortly”, according to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.
Harmon has written to Opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo indicating that President Granger had received a response to his letter sent to the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice James Patterson regarding the Commission’s readiness “to deliver credible elections in Guyana”.
In the letter, Harmon also quoted from Patterson’s response in which he said that the Commission would be prepared to hold election “no earlier than late November 2019” once certain conditions were met.
“In the circumstances I am instructed to inform that his Excellency, the President intends to shortly name a date for the General and Regional elections in Guyana within the framework provided by the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission,” Harmon wrote.
In a response to the Minister of State’s letter, Jagdeo said he has already made known his position against the November timeline and the President ought to be reminded that after midnight on March 21, , “his government becomes illegal”.
Jagdeo had given until March 19 as the deadline for keeping within the constitutional guideline to hold the elections following the December 21, 2018 successful motion of no confidence in the National Assembly that brought down the coalition administration.
Under the Guyana Constitution, elections had to be held within 90 days following the successful motion of no confidence against the government or the period extended by a special majority of the National Assembly.
The Parliament has not met to debate the extension.
Meanwhile, the acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, will later on Friday expected to deliver the Court of Appeal ruing in the three matters stemming from the appeal to the ruling of the High Court regarding the December 21, 2018 vote in the National assembly that brought down the coalition government.
Earlier this week, Justice Cummings-Edwards after hearing arguments in the matter said that the Court of Appeal ruling will be handed down at 15.00 hours (local time)
The Court of Appeal had earlier refused to grant a stay on the effects of the no-confidence vote since the acting Chancellor said that would be overtaken by Friday’s ruling. – CMC
