Constitution

President David Granger on Friday cited the need for opposition support to aid him in setting a date for “credible” general elections at the “earliest possible date”, as the 90-day timeframe after the passage of the no-confidence motion expires next week Thursday. “They demand political cooperation, not confrontation,” he said in a pre-recorded address to the nation, from the Ministry ...

Indictable criminal charges of conspiracy by three Elections Commissioners to breach Guyana’s Constitution were dismissed by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. The three Guyana Elections Commissioners, all government-appointed, are Charles Corbin, Vincent Alexander and Desmond Trotman. Attorney-at-law Sanjeev Datadin, who filed the private criminal charges on behalf of Civil Engineer Marcel Gaskin, said the High Court would be asked to compel ...

The seven-member Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is embroiled in fresh controversy over the timeframe for holding general elections, with the opposition party-appointed commissioners denying that voting was underway on house-to-house registration and the ruling APNU+AFC-backed commissioners stating that the motion was passed. The three opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) elections commissioners – Sase Gunraj, Bibi Shadick and Robeson Benn – ...

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday disclosed that he and former US President, Jimmy Carter of the Carter Centre held telephone discussions last week, but the former Guyanese leader declined to give any details. Jagdeo said he preferred to await another discussion with Carter after he and President David Granger had spoken. “I thought it’s necessary for Guyanese to know ...

As the 90-day deadline for early elections triggered by a no-confidence motion is set to expire next week, the Guyana Court of Appeal was Wednesday asked to set a new period within which the polls must be held. Attorney-at-Law, Kamal Ramkarran, who is representing political commentator Christopher Ram in a no-confidence motion-related case, urged the three-member panel of judges to ...

President David Granger Wednesday wrote to Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson requesting that the Commission present him with a work programme in the shortest possible time. In his missive to Justice Patterson, the President noted it is essential that he is informed of the Commission’s readiness to deliver credible elections in Guyana. “I urge ...

Newly-appointed United States (US) Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch on Wednesday said the US would back free and fair general and regional elections. “Moving forward, we will continue to encourage genuinely free and fair elections, freedom of speech and assembly, multiparty representation and a constitutional judiciary process,” she said immediately after presenting her credentials to President David Granger. Ambassador Lynch’s ...

The Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice James Patterson and that body’s three coalition-appointed commissioners were Tuesday charged criminally with violating Guyana’s constitution, resulting in a failure to hold general elections within 90 days of the passage of a no-confidence motion. The private criminal charge was filed by well-known Civil Engineer and activist, Marcel Gaskin. In a ...

The Guyana government on Monday cautioned Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo that his call on supporters to chase out President David Granger and other government officials from their communities could breach the peace and incite racial hostilities in an election year. “Mr. Jagdeo has a history of wanton utterances and his most recent at Babu Jaan has serious implications on peace, ...

A group of non-governmental organisations calling themselves the Civil Society Forum on Monday publicly called on President David Granger to name an election date or risk his administration being labelled “illegal”. “His not naming that date thus far has increased the probability that the government will be accused of being illegal after March 21,” the Forum said in a statement. ...