Going to Court among all options on no-confidence motion

Last Updated on Saturday, 30 August 2014, 1:33 by GxMedia

The Guyana government on Friday said it was leaving all options open including possibly seeking a judicial review of the majority opposition-backed no-confidence motion against the Donald Ramotar administration.

“If those suggestions come up, they will be discussed. We are not ruling anything out or anything in,” he told a news conference.

He said the implications of the Alliance For Change (AFC) sponsored no-confidence motion were still being discussed. “These things are never off the table,” he added.

When contacted, Attorney General Anil Nandlall added that government has not collectively decided on a particular course of action. “There are many options that are being explored…I am not saying “not the court”. I am saying that there are many, many options being explored,” said Nandlall. He declined to disclose any of these.

The Attorney General said he was awaiting for political direction as “all options are being considered.”

There is speculation in some quarters that the President may opt to call elections before the no-confidence vote is debated and approved by the opposition-controlled House.  The Guyanese leader reiterated that his People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC), which now has a one-seat minority in the 65-seat House, would regain control of that law-making body whenever Guyanese go to the polls.

If the President does not call elections, the motion will be debated when the parliamentary recess ends on October 10, 2014. If passed, he and his cabinet will have to resign but remain in office until elections are held within 90 days.