The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on Friday ruled that it is for Guyana’s President, Opposition Leader, Parliament and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to determine when General Elections should be held. On the appointment of a GECOM chair, the CCJ urged that, as a matter of the greatest public importance, “the President and the Leader of the Opposition should, ...
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OPINION: Prisoner’s Dilemma and a call to extend and reform
Guyana’s political establishment is faced with a version of the Prisoner’s Dilemma. By Terrence R. Blackman (PhD) and Thomas B. Singh (PhD) July 11, 2019 The Prisoner’s Dilemma is a well-known concept in modern game theory. It is a paradox in decision analysis in which two players, each acting in her own self-interest, will fail to produce the optimal outcome. ...
Read More »Negotiators send back GECOM chair issue to Granger, Jagdeo
Political negotiators for the government and opposition Thursday evening decided to ask President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to consider a total of 13 nominees to further shortlist them down to six from which the next Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) would be picked. The 13 names include eight that Granger suggested to Jagdeo and five ...
Read More »PPP asks CCJ to order swift appointment of GECOM Chair, general elections on Sept 18 with same voters list
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, through his lawyers, have asked the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to order that President David Granger name September 18 as election day, and his party wants the regional court to order that a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) be appointed in three days. “In order to facilitate such an election, the President shall ...
Read More »PPP questions whether Granger’s reps authorised on eligibility of GECOM Chair nominees
The opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is likely to pull out of talks with the governing coalition on selecting a new Chairman for the Guyana Elections (GECOM) if government does not clarify whether the list of 18 nominees first has to be distilled by President Granger’s representatives, sources said. “Unless we get clarity, I’m ending the engagement,” a source said. ...
Read More »OPINION: Coalition list is synonymous with an overflowing sewage system
By GHK Lall I read the latest development in the ongoing soap opera of selecting a chair for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in the predawn hours of Tuesday. The coalition’s list is synonymous with a sewage system. An untreated, overflowing sewage system. I gagged. I can’t be awake; this is a nightmare, and the worst kind: one where my ...
Read More »Opposition Leader threatens to pull out from ‘bad faith’ talks with President to select new GECOM Chairman
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo Monday night said he was prepared to nominate more persons for the post of Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman, but threatened to pull out of talks with President David Granger if there is bad faith. “We are acting in good faith but if the government does not act in good faith, then we will be put ...
Read More »President submits James Patterson, 7 others for GECOM Chair
President David Granger has submitted eight names to the Parliamentary opposition for its consideration, as the two sides continue the search for a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), government’s Department of Public Information reported Monday night. The eight persons nominated by the Head of State are retired justices Stanley Moore and Claudette La Bennet, Economist Dr. Aubrey Armstrong, ...
Read More »OPINION: New GECOM list: an Ocean’s Eleven of the mostly unfavorable
by GHK Lall I was hoping for a serious list, not necessarily an entirely new list, but one that offered names holding out some hope that the electoral challenges at hand were viewed through a wider lens. I suppose that, now it is on the record, the best will have to be done with it. And if this is the ...
Read More »Guyana gov’t asks Caribbean Court to leave elections up to Parliament, GECOM, President, Opposition Leader
The Guyana government wants the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to rule that it cannot direct when general elections should be held and that if Parliament fails to extend the timeframe, the President should name elections date after a new Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is appointed and advises him of its readiness. “If this Court orders that ...
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