APNU election commissioners “not morally entitled” to remain in office – Ramkarran

Last Updated on Sunday, 12 July 2026, 14:44 by Writer

The three People’s National Congress Reform/ Partnership for National Unity (APNU) election commissioners should have resigned after the September 1, 2025 general and regional elections because they do not reflect the new main opposition party, former House Speaker Ralph Ramkarran said on Saturday.

“They are not morally entitled to their seats,” he said in his Conversation Tree column titled “The tenure of election commissioners”.

Mr Ramkarran said the three members originally appointed on the recommendation of a past leader of the opposition were  not entitled to hold office since the election of a new leader of the opposition.

There can hardly be any dispute over this contention, according to Mr Ramkarran, who added that the question was how to implement the wishes of the new leader of the opposition to have new members of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) based on his recommendations, there being no provision in the Constitution for the commissioners to leave office, and their refusal to do so.

He forecast that the issue could drag on because the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration appears reluctant to work with the 16-seat We Invest in Nationhood (WIN).

As a result, he said there would no room for the ruling PPPC to support a request by WIN or the public for Guyana’s constitution to be amended to allow for a change of election commissioners in “specific circumstances” other than by death, resignation, incapacity or recommendations by a tribunal.

“The circumstances that prevail currently suggest that the Government’s hostility to WIN is so deep-seated that it might prefer to have the three Commissioners retain their positions rather than amend the Constitution to have the three Commissioners unseated,” said Mr Ramkarran, a former PPP Executive Member.

WIN’s founders – Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar “Shell” Mohamed – have been ostracised by the PPPC and the government since June 2024 when the United States (US) blocked American companies and businesses from doing business with them because they were allegedly involved in financial crimes linked to their gold trading business.

Almost immediately, the Guyana government rescinded the Mohameds’ foreign exchange dealers licence and gold sector permits, and commercial banks were forced to close their accounts.

The relationship also worsened after the Mohameds, former PPPC supporters and President Irfaan Ali’s friends, went on to form WIN and contest last year’s general and regional elections.

Well-placed sources said Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed’s request to President Ali that he appoint lawyers Roysdale Forde, Damien Da Silva and Siand Dhurjon to replace Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman could not be considered favourably because there were no vacancies.

Given that there is no vacancy and the incumbents are refusing to resign, Mr Ramkarran said WIN’s only option is to take the issue to court.

Mr Ramkarran, himself a practicing lawyer with experience in electoral and constitutional matters, was fairly optimistic that the court would rule in favour of WIN.

He said the court could potentially declare that under Article 161(3) of the Constitution, the three GECOM commissioners are required to have the confidence of the leader of the opposition.

He reasoned that it may even go further and declare that the three members do not have such confidence, having regard to the opposition leader’s letter to the president nominating three other persons.

He also said a court might even be prepared to say that the three commissioners holding on to their seats is unlawful.

At the same time, he cautioned that in the absence of a specific provision in the Constitution that provides for the resignation or removal of the three members or circumstances by which their offices come to an end, a court might stop short of declaring them vacant.

The GECOM Chairman, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, has not summoned a GECOM meeting for several months now.

Though a workplan for Local Government Elections 2026 has been designed by the technical staff and is being updated, the GECOM stalemate could impact adversely on holding those polls, according to sources.

The 12-seat APNU and commissioners Alexander, Corbin and Trotman are maintaining that there is no vacancy and the only way out is a court decision or constitutional amendment.

Mr Ramkarran noted that prior to the 1992 elections, the previous legislation had required the commissioners to resign three months after the general and regional elections.