Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo has formally responded to the President’s invitation for a meeting tomorrow stating that he would only attend on certain conditions.
In his letter to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon yesterday, the PPP General Secretary said he would only meet with the President if he agrees that General and Regional Elections are to be held before the expiration of current voters’ list which is on April 30; that no new contracts be awarded by the State after March 21; that the government enters into no binding contract or agreement, be it loans, grants or land leases after March 21; that there be no abuse of State resources; and that thereby access to the State-owned media by all political parties.
Once these conditions are met, Jagdeo said he and his party would vote in the National Assembly to extend the deadline for holding elections beyond March 19. He also suggested that the March 6 meeting focus exclusively on the date for elections. Further to this, Jagdeo indicated in his letter that his proposal to have elections before April 30 is a reasonable one as it allows for a period of claims and objections by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Jagdeo said, too, that his proposal would also prevent the nation from slipping into a constitutional crisis while reminding time is of the essence.
