JUSTICE Gino Persaud will on Monday rule whether the court has jurisdiction to hear a matter concerning claims that Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan had failed to issue an order for the holding of Local Government Elections (LGE) under the Local Democratic Organs Act Cap. 28.09.

Justice Persaud will also rule in a motion against the chief elections officer for demarcating and re-demarcating constituency boundaries without consultations with electors, stakeholders and political parties.

The challenge was made by the People’s Progressive Party member and commissioner of the Guyana Elections Commission, Bibi Shadick. Justice Persaud had set the date for the ruling on Wednesday when the case was called before him.

Shadick is being represented by Attorney Anil Nandlall. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, SC, who is representing Bulkan, had argued that the court has no jurisdiction to entertain the application by Shadick. Williams posited that once allegations of irregularities and illegalities are raised after the elections process has begun, the law requires that any such challenge must come after the elections are held and by way of an elections petition.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday after exiting the chambers of Justice Persaud, Nandlall shared that they were scheduled to present their respective submissions, both written and orally, but the attorney general and solicitor general’s absence caused that not to be done. Williams, who is currently performing the functions of Minister of Foreign Affairs, had to preside over the accreditation of five new ambassadors to Guyana on Wednesday.

Nandlall said despite this, he was able to impress upon the court the importance of the matter being concluded before LGEs on November 12. “The urgency of this matter is paramount, so I would have impressed upon the court that this matter must be concluded long before the LGE, because if it succeeds, it will require certain things to be done before the elections can take place,” Nandlall said.