LEADER of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lenox Shuman, has been selected as the first leader within the three-party joinder that will occupy the seat won in the National Assembly through the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.

A letter to this effect was sent to Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, on Thursday by the joinder parties which include A New and United Guyana (ANUG), The New Movement (TNM) and the LJP.

It stated: “We are pleased to inform you that the representative of the above-named Joinder Parties is Mr. Lenox Shuman. His name is on the approved List of Candidates for the National Top-Up List of the Liberty and Justice Party.”

Speaking with the newspaper, Shuman said that he has received the support of his party’s Executives to take up the role. “In terms of the Liberty and Justice Party that support is there; I have the full confidence of our Executives and our membership.”

At a press briefing on Tuesday, representatives of the Joinder Parties had explained that, based on their existing agreement and the LJP having secured the most votes at the Elections, a representative from the party would therefore take up the first portion of time in the National Assembly.

The name of the chosen representative had to be provided to GECOM before Friday, subsequent to deliberations by LJP Executives. At the Elections, the LJP secured 2,657 votes; ANUG received 2,313 votes and the TNM, 244.

This would see the LJP occupying the seat for approximately 2 years, 6 months and 20 days; ANUG for 2 years and 5 months and TNM for 80 days. However, at the meeting, the party leaders stated that this is still up for discussion and a proposal for the TNM to occupy the seat for one year is on the table.

The parties have stated that they will not align with either the government or opposition in Parliament simply on favoritism but will support motions or policies based on what stands to best benefit the Guyanese people.

As he awaits his first day in the National Assembly as a politician and representative, Shuman said: “We have to look at what the government’s agenda is and see the points that we can support and the points that we can’t support. But, as we said at the press conference, we’re going to support what is in the people’s interest not what is in a political party’s interest.”

In this initial stage, Shuman explained that the joinder party was required to write to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to inform about the chosen occupant for the seat. However, moving forward, changes to the LJP’s representation in the seat to allow for the other joinder parties will have to be communicated with through the Speaker of the National Assembly.