-“We want to have a decision within days”-President Granger

The Government and the Opposition have agreed to meet again and “hammer out” several names to be considered on the final list of six to be considered for the post of chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

On Thursday afternoon, President David Granger and a team of government officials met with Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo and his team at the Ministry of the Presidency.

President Granger was accompanied by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs,Basil Williams, Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, Minister of State,Dawn Hastings- Williams, Minister of Public Health,Volda Lawrence, Minister of Natural Resources,Raphael Trotman and Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon.

Following the meeting, the President told members of the media that the meeting focused on the means to be adopted for the nomination process.”We feel that unless the chair is appointed, the work of the Guyana Elections Commission cannot be done as soon as possible,” the Head of State noted.

Providing a briefing of the meeting, Harmon told reporters that the two sides agreed that the process for nomination of persons to be considered to the post of chair, will be completed within the shortest possible time, noting that the President indicated that this should be done within the matter of days.

Harmon said the two sides will engage in hammering out the names and Jagdeo will present same to the President for one to be chosen for the post.”Conversation was basically in a cordial manner,” Harmon said.

He said that the conversations tended to the injunction of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), that the process must be consensual.

He said too that the exchanges between the two sides and submission process will also take into account , any suggestion the President may have.

President Granger told the media that the Opposition Leader is free to submit names he previously submitted.

As regard the meeting the President said,”I think it is a move forward towards the appointment of the chairman of the commission.”

He expressed confidence that once the nominee is accepted by both sides, the commission will function much more freely.

In delivering the landmark judgment on June 18, 2019, President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders said the President and the Leader of the Opposition ought to have met prior to the submission of the list and consulted on names.

It was explained that consultation between the President and the Opposition Leader would have allowed for consensus and submission of a list of six persons who would have reached the eligibility requirements.