…as President, Opposition Leader continue talks on new GECOM chair
…discussions on President’s nominees, other candidates expected today

Four persons, who were nominated by the Leader of the Opposition for the position of chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), have found favour with President David Granger. The four nominees are expected to be included on a list which will be submitted formally, to the President, for his consideration.

However, the process of nominating persons for the post is not completed, as two more names are required to make up the list of six names not unacceptable to the President – a requirement of the Constitution.

This was the result of a high-level meeting between President Granger and the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, at the Ministry of the Presidency on Tuesday. In that meeting, the President was accompanied by Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, while the opposition leader was accompanied by People’s

Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament, Irfaan Ali.
In a joint statement following the meeting, the leaders said, “It was agreed ? that from the list of five names shortlisted by the working group, four were found not unacceptable to the President; and as part of the hammering-out process, the two names suggested by the President and others as may be necessary, will be discussed further.” The President’s nominees are Attorney-at-Law, Kesaundra Alves, and Justice (Ret’d), Claudette La Bennett.
In a press conference that immediately followed the meeting, President Granger, in the company of the Director General, said he was pleased to report that he and the opposition leader had a “fruitful” meeting.

The President explained that after the July 4, 2019 meeting between him and the opposition leader, they had agreed to the formation of a working group to “hammer out” the nominees proposed by both sides. The group comprised of Vice-President and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, and the Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, on the government side, and Members of Parliament, Gail Teixeira, Anil Nandlall and Bishop Juan Edghill on the opposition side. Ahead of the first meeting of the working group, the opposition leader resubmitted 11 names from his list of 18 that was previously rejected by President Granger, while eight names were proposed by the President on the day of the meeting.

During the third and final meeting on Thursday July 11, 2019, the working group had shortlisted five names from the 11 resubmitted by the opposition leader, while the president’s eight nominees were placed up for consideration. The working group had hoped to conclude the process of identifying six names not unacceptable to the President but the parties could not have found common ground and agreed to send the matter back to the two leaders.

On July 12, in response to its June 18, 2019 decision that the process that resulted in the unilateral appointment by the President of a Chairman of GECOM was flawed, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) said the need to issue consequential orders and directions have been rendered largely unnecessary because the GECOM Chairman voluntarily resigned his office subsequent to the decision. However, it urged the President and the opposition leader to expedite the process of appointing a new chairman, in light of a pending election.

“It is now a matter of the greatest public importance that the President and the leader of the opposition should, as soon as possible, embark upon and conclude the process of appointing a new GECOM Chairman. This imperative is now of the utmost urgency in light of our decision in the no-confidence motion cases that the motion was validly passed thereby triggering the need for fresh general elections,” President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders said.

In the court’s earlier ruling, it had urged the two leaders to arrive at a consensus before the list of six nominees is formally submitted to the President by the leader of the opposition, in accordance with the Constitution of Guyana. In keeping with a commitment to expedite the process, the President further shortlisted his eight nominees to two.
“…the Government of Guyana has agreed broadly to accept the ruling and to expedite the process on the selection of the chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, and we feel that this process can be brought to an end very quickly and on that basis I agreed to meet with the leader of the opposition,” President Granger said on Tuesday.
He noted that it was not possible for the meeting to be held on Monday, and as such, they agreed to meet on Tuesday, July 16. “We have reached a broad agreement; we have not completed the process,” he told reporters in the press room of the Ministry of the Presidency.

He noted that the high-level meeting will continue today, Wednesday July 17, and it is expected that even more progress will be made.

“We feel that this process could be brought to an end very quickly. We expect that we will make progress on crafting a list. I must note that the power and the authority of the Leader of the Opposition under the Constitution to submit a list of six names not unacceptable to the President has not been impaired, it has not been varied. Equally, when the President receives that list, he will make a choice,” President Granger explained. He noted that the CCJ has indicated that there should be a “hammering out” process in the arrival of the six names ahead of the formal submission.

PROCESS MOVING FORWARD
Fielding questions from reporters, the President emphasised that the process is being advanced. “The process will move forward tomorrow, in that there will be a smaller team. We will not use the same working group; it will be a smaller team, which will continue the process of engagement. We have not disengaged,” he told reporters.

He said it is expected that at the end of the process, the opposition would be able to submit a list of six nominees that are not unacceptable to the President. At this stage, the parties have agreed not to disclose the names of nominees shortlisted, or disclose the reasons for rejecting the seven other nominees proposed by the opposition leader. However, the President assured reporters that the working group did a satisfactory job. “They did their work and we are satisfied. As far as we are concerned, it was a satisfactory process,” the Head of State said.

Article 161 (2) of the Constitution, mandates the opposition leader, after meaningful consultation with the non-governmental political parties represented in the National Assembly, to submit a list of six persons, to the President for the selection of a Chairman of GECOM, however, the list must not be unacceptable to the President.