Opposition Leader requests meeting with Norton, Walton-Desir to replace GECOM commissioners

In a bid to break a nine-month deadlock over the need for representative composition of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) following last year’s general and regional elections, Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed says he has formally requested a meeting with the leaders of the other two parliamentary opposition parties.

In correspondence dated June 10 to leader of the People’s National Congress Reform-dominated A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Aubrey Norton, the Opposition Leader said he was “considering advising the President to appoint” lawyers Roysdale Forde, Siand Dhurjon and Damien Da Silva.

They are representing the Opposition Leader and his father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed in extradition committal proceedings as the businessmen are wanted by the United States (US) for alleged financial crimes linked to their gold trading business.

But already a controversy is looming over whether Mr Norton was invited to a meeting later this month as part of constitutionally required consultations with non-governmental parties in the National Assembly for the nomination of three commissioners.

Mr Norton is also maintaining that there is no vacancy and so there can be no consultation.

In the letter, Mr Mohamed invited Mr Norton to offer his views and submit the names of individuals that he would like to be appointed GECOM commissioners on or before June 19 and after that he (Norton) or his authorised representatives are invited to consultations on June 23.

But says he has not been invited to a meeting. “Yes, he wrote but he hasn’t requested a meeting with me about GECOM.”

Further, Mr Norton says as far as he is concerned, there is no need for a meeting because there was vacancy for the three commissioners. “I don’t have to meet Mohamed because there is no vacancy for commissioners,” he also told Demerara Waves Online News.

Mr Mohamed’s We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party has 16 seats, Norton’s APNU, 12, and Forward Guyana Movement, one seat in the 65-seat National Assembly.

That is in contrast to the APNU+Alliance For Change’s 31 seats in the 2020 elections. At that time, WIN did not exist.

Mr Mohamed reasoned in his letter to Mr Norton that the current three opposition-nominated commissioners — Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman — were advised upon by the previous Opposition Leader from a different political party, and they do not reflect the makeup of the opposition’s parliamentary configuration at present.

He said the purpose of the Leader of the Opposition’s advisory role under Article 161 is to ensure that the parliamentary opposition enjoys meaningful representation and confidence within the elections body.

Mr Mohamed argued that that constitutional purpose would be substantially undermined if the largest parliamentary opposition were indefinitely bound by appointments purportedly made at the instance of the former opposition leadership representing a different political mandate.

He said it is unthinkable that the Constitution contemplated a situation where the Leader of the Opposition (or the President) would be constrained to work with, be advised by and advise GECOM commissioners appointed largely at the instance of an adversary political party or leader representing a different political mandate.

“I have been advised and presently consider that the Constitution contemplates that the seats of the three opposition-advised members of GECOM have become vacant by operation of law, on account of their tenures having come to an end and being spent in the circumstances of a new principal opposition and a completely novel parliamentary configuration,” the Opposition Leader said in his letter.

The PNCR-APNU Leader confirmed that the Opposition Leader has proposed to him three persons, including Mr Forde, to possibly replace Messrs Alexander, Corbin and Trotman.

Mr Mohamed told Mr Norton that Mr Forde is an “outspoken and upstanding member of the People’s National Congress Reform which is the major stakeholder in APNU”.

“These individuals are merely preliminary candidates under consideration. I remain willing to consider any suitable alternative nominee proposed, as I have not come to a final decision,” he added.

Asked whether he spoke with Mr Forde about the supposed planned appointment of him as a GECOM Commissioner, the PNCR-APNU Leader said “I saw no need to. If there is no vacancy, why do I need to talk to him?” he said.

Mr Norton and Messrs. Alexander, Corbin and Trotman continue to maintain that despite the change in the make-up of the National Assembly after last September’s general and regional elections, the Constitution does not require them to resign.

The incumbent commissioners say they will only step aside if there is a court ruling or an amendment to the law.

Reacting, Mr Mohamed said, “Let’s hope good sense prevail. I hope that Mr Norton understands that the WIN movement is the main opposition and we must have persons on the commission to represent all parties.”