Politics

President David Granger does not have to give reasons for rejecting Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo’s 18 nominees because he had no intention of asking him to submit another list. The Attorney General’s Chambers also said he Guyanese leader does not have to abide by his own criteria which he had set the Opposition Leader. Amid calls by several private sector ...

The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Monday filed a High Court action, asking that President David Granger’s appointment of Retired Justice James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) be quashed because he is allegedly biased and the Guyanese leader violated the Constitution by picking him. “In all the circumstances, the exercise of the President’s discretion and ...

Guyana’s first ever eight-member Local Government Commission, whose mandate includes hiring and firing officers, was Monday sworn in as a means of ending illegality and ministerial involvement in the affairs of the local government system, President David Granger said. He said the swearing in of the Commission signals respect for constitutional rights and protections. Local democracy- the third tier of ...

In the wake of concerns that Retired Justice James Patterson was hand-picked to become Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) because he is a loyalist of the largest party in the governing coalition, President David Granger on Monday debunked  claims of the elections chief’s party membership. Granger, who is also leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), said ...

President David Granger on Monday appeared cautious about giving reasons for rejecting Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo’s nominees for the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, adding that a recent  High Court ruling is not enforceable. He said the constitution does not require him to do so and he was wary about the implications of doing so in a ...

The Guyana Bar Association (GBA) on Saturday threatened to take legal action to force President David Granger to disclose reasons for rejecting Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo’s 18 nominees and instead unilaterally appointing Retired Justice James Patterson as the new Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The Bar Association reasoned that the President could only exercise his constitutional right to ...

Political analyst, Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran and Political Scientist, David Hinds Friday expressed disappointment in President David Granger’s unilateral appointment of a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission. Hinds lamented that Granger’s move does not send the right signal to Guyanese about “holding the country together” and consensus building on key subjects like the oil industry and  constitutional reform, among ...

The Alliance For Change (AFC), one of the parties in the governing coalition, Friday said it would guard against electoral practices, and that it was not involved in selecting  Retired Justice James Patterson as the next Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). “The AFC holds GECOM to the highest standards of electoral integrity and will stridently challenge any threats to the ...

Guyana’s Private Sector Commission (PSC) on Friday warned that President David Granger’s unilateral appointment of a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) would result in political and economic instability. “The decision of the President to act unilaterally and independently of the submissions of the Leader of the Opposition poses a clear threat to democracy and will inevitably divide the ...

President David Granger Thursday night defended the swearing in of 84-year old Retired Justice James Patterson as the new Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, and  both gentlemen dismissed suggestions that age could be a major humbug in dealing with the political rigours of the job. Granger explained why he thought Patterson was “fit and proper” to head the elections ...