Politics

The Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice James Patterson on Tuesday used his casting vote to reject the re-hiring of Vishnu Persaud as Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DECO), a move the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has condemned. “I have great fears that we cannot rely on informed rational fair judgements of the chair of the Elections ...

General Secretary of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Amna Ally was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital on Monday, ahead of her departure for overseas medical attention. Government’s Department of Public Information said Ally, who is Minister of Social Protection, went to the Georgetown Public Hospital on Monday after “complaining of feeling unwell”. She is due to leave Guyana ...

Disagreement surfaced Monday afternoon over whether the High Court decided that a fraud case against former Deputy General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board, Madanlall Ramraj has been stayed, with Guyana’s Solicitor General, Kim Kyte saying that the State complied with Justice Navindra Singh’s order to produce a report. “No stay was granted. We complied with the Order. The ...

Three days after the High Court ruled that the President of Guyana can rightfully ignore the Opposition Leader’s nominees for the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Monday filed an appeal, saying that decision was wrong on several grounds. PPP Executive Secretary, Zulficar Mustapha, through his battery of lawyers, wants the ...

Representatives of several African groups from across Guyana on Sunday agreed by majority to call for the country coordinating mechanism for the Decade for People of African descent to be scrapped and a new body established over concerns about its formation and decision-making. When the vote was taken, 36 persons showed their hands for the mechanism officially named the International ...

The opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Friday said it would appeal the High Court’s refusal to order President David Granger to appoint one of Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo’s 18 nominees for the position of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). “We will be filing an appeal to challenge this decision in our ultimate quest to secure constitutional compliance. ...

The High Court on Friday discarded all of People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Executive Secretary, Zulficar Mustapha’s grounds to scrap the appointment of Retired Justice James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), including one that he was a pallbearer of People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader Desmond Hoyte. Mustapha, through his lawyer Anil Nandlall, had stated that Justice ...

Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire on Friday ruled that President David Granger was constitutionally right to appoint Retires Justice James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). She said the President enjoyed the constitutional right to reject the entire list and appoint someone from the judicial category. In handing down her decision on a case brought by Executive Secretary ...

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Thursday urged the Guyanese Parliament to amend its drafted Cybercrime Bill, which could have a damaging effect on press freedom. On June 7, RSF sent a letter to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo outlining its concerns with the legislation. While the Guyanese government has a legitimate interest in regulating the internet to ensure certain criminal activity—such ...

President David Granger on Wednesday refused to back down from his preference for overseas-based Justice Kenneth Benjamin to be appointed Chancellor of the Judiciary, in the face of intensified calls for the acting Chancellor and Chief Justice to be confirmed. “That is well-known, that is well-known. I took my time in making that decision and I am not prepared to ...