No date set for the dissolution of Parliament – Harmon

DIRECTOR-GENERAL of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, said no date has been fixed for the dissolution of the Parliament of Guyana on the basis that there may be a need to return to the National Assembly.

“I cannot say to you now that there has been a firm decision on the dissolution, the date when that is to take place,” Harmon said in response to a question posed by a reporter during a post-cabinet press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency, on Thursday.
The Director-General said several factors must be considered in fixing a date for the dissolution of Parliament. One such factor, he posited, is the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). GECOM, during a press conference last Friday, said is a likelihood that additional funds would be needed to facilitate the March 02, 2020 General and Regional Elections.
“It is within our interest to ensure that all of the mechanisms that are necessary are put in place so that we can have free, fair and credible elections by March 02, that we are going to do that,” Harmon said.

Commenting on the issue recently, President David Granger said he did not set a date for the dissolution of the Parliament of Guyana, on the grounds that the government may need approval from the National Assembly to access finance from the treasury in the event there is a matter of national importance.

“I will stay away from dissolution as long as there is a likelihood that we would need a vote of the whole parliament to pass any financial measure. Unfortunately from time to time sometime, because of urgent matters, such as a flood, a fire, we may need funds and only parliament can authorise the disbursement of funds which have not been provided for,” the Head of State explained.

Last September, the Head of State proclaimed that General and Regional Elections will be held on Monday, March 02, 2020. Constitutionally, the Parliament must be dissolved three months before an election.

“An election of members of the National Assembly under Article 60 (2) shall be held on such day within three months after every dissolution of Parliament as the President shall appoint by proclamation,” Article 61 of the Constitution states. As such, the Parliament of Guyana would have to be dissolved by December 2, 2019.

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