NOW that the Elections Proclamation has been signed, and scheduled to be gazetted soon, attention has been shifted to the next step – dissolution of Parliament – in the lead-up to the May 11 General and Regional elections as announced by President Donald Ramotar.And Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon yesterday disclosed that the Dissolution Proclamation will be made within the constitutionally provided for timeframe, three months before Election Day.

“You’re looking at dissolution three months, exactly, from the 11th of May…sometime by the 8th or 9th of February,” he said, during his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing, which was held at the Office of the President.
Additionally, concerns over why the dissolution of Parliament, which currently stands prorogued, have been bandied about since President Ramotar’s announcement of Elections Day.
However, Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, in a prior interview with the Guyana Chronicle, made it clear that the two announcements do not have to be made simultaneously.
“There is absolutely no obligation on the President to dissolve Parliament at the same time when a date for National Elections is announced,” he told the Guyana Chronicle in an invited comment.
Nandlall explained that the two announcements can be made together, but it is not an absolute necessity that they must be.
He added that the Constitution states clearly that elections must be held within three months of the dissolution of Parliament. “Parliament has to be dissolved on a date within that three-month timeframe,” Nandlall said.
Once the proclamation of dissolution is issued, preparations for the next Parliament – the 11th Parliament – will commence.
The new 65 Members, relative to representation in the House, will be decided based on the outcome of the upcoming General and Regional elections and who those individuals are will be based on the names submitted, via a Candidates List submitted on Nomination Day, by the contesting political parties.
The 10th Parliament was convened on January 12, 2012. (Vanessa Narine)