GUYANA – CHAIRPERSAON of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh says the commission will be ready to hold general and regional elections by February 2020.
She said this in a letter to Guyana President David Granger who is now expected to announce an election date based on the timeline presented by GECOM.
Justice Singh said he was cognizant of the fact that the Guyanese president and the nation were anxiously awaiting the specific information in relation to GECOM’s readiness to conduct credible elections in the shortest time possible.
She said that the February 2020 timeline considers all the objective factors, deliberations of the commission, and her most recent consultations with the GECOM secretariat.
Granger told members of the media that the government was complying with the Constitution of Guyana since it is allowing the electoral body to do its work.
Speaking at the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GM&SA) luncheon at the Pegasus on Friday, the President said that it was impossible for the executive to take part in the running of elections, noting that his government will not impede the work of GECOM.
On Thursday, the joint missions of the United States, the European Delegation to Guyana and the British High Commission said that by surpassing September 18, 2019, the Government is in breach of the Constitution “following its failure to adhere to the decisions of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on 18 June and its subsequent orders.”
The President in his response, stressed the importance of the functions of GECOM as he called on the foreign missions to allow his government to resolve the issues regarding the electoral process.
PNCR General Secretary and Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally said she endorsed the position taken by the President regarding GECOM’s independence.
“We can’t fight with GECOM,” she said, noting that when the body is ready to host the elections, the president would have to abide with commission’s state of readiness. ”We can’t tell GECOM about the timelines, they know what they are doing,” she said.
On Thursday afternoon, Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo said he was “surprised” by Justice Singh’s pronouncement.
