Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo is of the firm conviction that the appointment of a new Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) should occur within a reasonable timeframe. The Alliance For Change (AFC) Political Advisor made these comments in light of fears that President David Granger would drag out the consultation process with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo in an attempt to delay calling a date for the next General and Regional Elections.
During an exclusive interview with the Guyana Standard moments ago, Nagamootoo noted that Jagdeo would have to provide a list of suitable candidates for President Granger to consider as a replacement of Justice (Retired) James Patterson, whose tenure has been deemed untenable following Tuesday’s ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The court had ruled that the unilateral appointment of Patterson by President Granger was unconstitutional.
Jagdeo has made it clear that he could provide a list of nominees for the President within hours. Granger also said that he will be inviting Jagdeo for talks on the said issue soon.
Be that as it may, the President and the PPP General Secretary remain unable to find common ground on whether house-to-house registration is necessary for the holding of the next elections.
Granger has insisted that the list has to be sanitised for there to be credible elections. The Prime Minister told this news agency that he agrees with this position.
The AFC elder statesman said, “The voters’ list expired on April 30 and the opposition cannot change that reality. What we need is to have an authentic, credible, voters’ list which would require a house-to-house exercise. Any attempt to derail that would bring the legitimacy of the electoral process under question. So I believe it is not only the AFC but the entire coalition that has a reasonable position on this matter. The list must be sanitised.”
Once that is done, Nagamootoo confidently stated that the coalition would be heading to the polls and would, without question, be able to appeal to the broader section of the populace for the party’s reelection.
