Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo Tuesday evening appeared closer to coming up with six acceptable nominees for the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). “We expect that we’ll make progress in crafting a list,” President David Granger told a media briefing. In a joint statement, Jagdeo and Granger said “that from the list of five names shortlisted by ...
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Western diplomats urge all abide by Caribbean Court ruling
The United States, Britain, and the European Union (EU) on Monday urged all the players in Guyana to abide by the “definitive” orders of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) related to the holding of general elections. “The Caribbean Court of Justice – Guyana’s Supreme Court – has spoken. It is important for the rule of law that all invoked ...
Read More »Call elections now with existing voters’ list – Caribbean political scientist
Political Scientist, Peter Wickham has recommended that President David Granger call general elections soon without house-to-house registration. Appearing on a News Talk Radio Guyana post-Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) order panel discussion, Wickham said A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition had contested previous elections, including the 2015 polls that it won, with the same list. “I personally ...
Read More »Gov’t recognises its “caretaker” role
The Guyana government Saturday acknowledged that it’s a caretaker government, in keeping with the findings of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). At the same time, government said Cabinet would continue to function. “The Government accepts that it is an ‘interim’ government but emphasises that Cabinet has not stopped functioning and government must continue to provide public services. The Constitution ...
Read More »OPINION: Take ‘caretaker’ to another degree, a wider level
By GHK Lall The judicial position is that there is a ‘caretaker’ government in Guyana; or it should think of itself and operate as one. Once again, it came down through reiteration that this has to be hammered out at the local level. No alien hands and minds; no foreign ingredients. Local, it must be. And I think that everyone ...
Read More »OPINION: The jurists spoke (ordered): move and do something different
By GHK Lall Amidst the searing confrontations over the selection of chair for Gecom, nobody has had the frankness, even honesty, to pinpoint and call out loudly and clearly what this death struggle condenses to at the core and deep soul of the matter. None (self included) has been unsparing enough and blunt enough to say publicly what this chair ...
Read More »Caribbean Court says Granger’s gov’t in “caretaker” mode, elections must be determined locally
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, ...
Read More »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 ...
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