ACTING Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire, on Wednesday, clarified that the claim for an order compelling the Chief Elections Officer or the Commissioner of National Registration to take all necessary steps and actions to hold General and Regional Elections, on or before September 18, 2019 has not been withdrawn.

Guyana Chronicle, while reporting on the Fixed Date Application (FDA) filed by Christopher Ram vs. the Chief Elections Officer, Commissioner of the National Registration, the Guyana Elections Commission and the Attorney General on Tuesday, said the applicant had withdrawn that order. The report was based on pronouncements made by the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams after he and other parties in the matter had met with the Chief Justice (ag), but Justice George-Wiltshire, on Wednesday, made it clear that the claim for an order compelling the GECOM’s Officers to hold elections by September 18, 2019 was not withdrawn.

It was noted, too, that another Fixed Date Application (FDA) was not filed by Ram. “The Notice of Application filed with the FDA was dealt with by the court and only the conservatory order that was sought was refused,” the High Court explained.
“The applicant in the matter did not request to resubmit the FDA. The applicant, however, requested and was given permission to file a supplementary affidavit in support of the FDA by 16:15hrs on July 23, 2019, to be served by 10:00hrs on July 24, 2019,” the Court further explained.

The High Court also confirmed that the Chief Justice (ag) stated that the consequential orders of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) indicate that elections should be held by September 18, 2019, or such longer period as the National Assembly determines. The hearing of the FDA stands adjourned to August 2nd, 2019 and not August 7th, 2019, the court further clarified.