SETTING a date for local government elections would be foolhardy, considering that the current Administration is staring at the Alliance For Change (AFC) sponsored no-confidence motion, according to President Donald Ramotar.
“I will be rightly ridiculed if faced with such a situation,” the President said, yesterday. A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has been pressing the Government to call a date for local government elections.

He also made it clear that his Government is “not afraid” of local government elections.
“We are not afraid of local government elections. We will win the local government elections whenever it is held,” Mr. Ramotar said.
The Head of State added that the full context of the non-holding of local government elections is misunderstood.
“The problem is that local government elections from 1994 were impeded in every way (by the Opposition. Up to 2010 they asked for a postponement,” he said.
Mr. Ramotar highlighted that a change in position was made only after the 2011 elections, when the combined Opposition won the parliamentary majority.
“Now they are talking about unconstitutionality and asking me to name a date,” he said.
PROTESTS CONTINUE
Additionally, on Tuesday, APNU continued its weekly protests outside the Office of the President, as the party continues to demand local government elections.
However, Mr. Ramotar is holding fast to his position, in that he needs the party’s leader, Brigadier (rtd.) David Granger, “to clarify what precisely” is his party’s position before he can “properly respond” to his letter, since he, Granger, was saying one thing, and his party another.
The APNU had made clear its support for the AFC’s no-confidence motion, which, if passed with majority support, could see Guyana heading to early general elections.
In his reply, by letter, to Mr. Granger last Thursday, President Ramotar requested that the APNU Leader be specific as to what his party wanted.

Local government elections have not been held in Guyana since 1994. Prior to that, local government elections were last held in 1970. Subsequent to 1994, the elections could not be conducted because of the coincidence with the general and regional elections of 1997. Additionally, the House passed the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2013, which states that elections must be held on or before August 1, 2014. The August date was made via an amendment to the Bill, proposed by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), while the House was in Committee. However, this bill has not been assented to by the Head of State.

(Vanessa Narine)