THE wait has ended and the much anticipated announcement on the way forward to bring an end to the current political impasse came yesterday when President Donald Ramotar announced that Guyana will go to general and regional elections early next year.

“I have considered and I have consulted and this is my resolve. We will go to elections. I have also since written to the international community alerting them to the possibility of early elections and the desire for them to field observer missions,” he said.
The Head of State was speaking at a press briefing held at State House, Main Street, where he added that a date for general and regional elections will be set early in 2015.
Mr. Ramotar reasoned that this way Guyanese people’s Christmas holidays, less than three weeks away, will not be disrupted.
Once a date is set political parties kick into campaign mode. Also once a proclamation, announcing a date, is made by the President to go to general and regional elections, constitutionally, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has three months within which to deliver.
Asked for clarity on a timeline within which a date will be set for a return to the polls, the President assured that he will make the proclamation before the Mashramani celebrations, possibly in his New Year’s Message to the nation.
Ramotar added that between now and the announcement of a date he will be engaging GECOM, as well as any other stakeholder group in talks. “I have an open door policy,” he said.
Also, given yesterday’s announcement, the President noted that local government elections will now have to be delayed until after general and regional elections are held. Last month, he had announced that local government elections will be held by the second quarter of 2015.
Mr. Ramotar’s announcement of a move to general and regional elections comes after his November 18 invitation to Leader of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Brigadier (rtd) David Granger was rejected.

INVITATION REJECTED
The main Opposition leader, in his response, was emphatic in his assertion that there will be “no talks” with the current administration, unless the November 10 prorogation of Parliament is lifted.
According to the Granger camp, via a brief missive sent the media yesterday and titled, ‘Leader of the Opposition responds to the President,’ “Brigadier David Granger, Leader of the Opposition, has responded to the letter from President Donald Ramotar, dated 18th November 2014 and entitled ‘Inter-Prorogation Dialogue’.
“The Opposition Leader iterated that APNU would be unprepared to participate in such a proposed dialogue for as long as the Parliament of Guyana remained prorogued.”
Additionally, both APNU and the Alliance For Change (AFC), at the time of the prorogation, categorically stated that they will not engage the President in talks unless the prorogation is lifted and parliamentary work resumes.
The President has always maintained that the need for dialogue was uppermost in his mind when he made his decision. Paving the way for greater dialogue among political parties, he contends, would have kept the 10th Parliament alive to address critically important issues currently before the National Assembly.
Mr. Ramotar reiterated these sentiments yesterday, adding that the objectives of his decision to prorogue Parliament have clearly been lost. “The Opposition reacted disappointingly and even rejected my decision as unconstitutional,” he said.

CONFIDENT OF WINNING
Yesterday, the Head of State expressed confidence in regaining the parliamentary majority his party lost in the 2011 general and regional elections by one seat. At the last elections the combined Opposition gained control of the National Assembly by a one-seat majority, in a 33-32 split.
Mr. Ramotar credited his confidence to the Government’s performance in moving the country forward for the benefit of the Guyanese people and to the experiences of the Guyanese people in the last three years.
At a prior press conference, in mid-November, he had underscored that his administration is not afraid of the electorate, since the Guyanese people are perfectly capable of judging the accomplishments made relative to national development and improved livelihoods of the nation’s people.
“The Opposition will have to win the elections to do so (make good on their threats), which I doubt they will be able to do, because this time I am going back for my majority bigger than ever before,” he said.
The PPP/C has won every consecutive general election since 1992.