The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield withdrew the application he had filed in the High Court, seeking to prevent government-nominated Election Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Bibi Shadick from participating in discussions on his dismissal.
When the matter came up in the High Court today, Lowenfield’s Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes said that “circumstances have overtaken the application” and as such, asked for permission to withdraw the substantive matter.
The permission to withdraw was granted by Justice Jo Ann Barlow, who is presiding over the matter.
At the last hearing, several timelines were set for submissions and responses, with today slated for a ruling.
In fact, at the last hearing, Attorney-at-Law representing GECOM, Kim Kyte, said that an updated motion was filed by Commissioners Gunraj and Shadick, which seeks to dismiss the CEO with notice, as outlined in his contract.
Lowenfield had moved to the High Court in a bid to bar the government-nominated members of GECOM from voting on the motion seeking to dismiss him.
He contended that the participation of Gunraj and Shadick in the deliberations of his dismissal “infected the deliberations of the Commission with bias.”
On June 1, 2021, a motion to immediately dismiss the embattled Chief Elections Officer was moved by Gunraj, while Shadick moved another motion to remove his Deputy Roxanne Myers.
The third motion, moved by Commissioner Manoj Narayan, seeks the immediate dismissal of District Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.
Lowenfield, Myers, and Mingo are all before the Magistrate’s Court facing charges for electoral fraud.
The trio is accused of attempts to thwart the results of the March 02, 2020, regional and general elections.
