Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand today clarified that the Minister of Local Government has no role to play in breaking the deadlock after the election for a Regional Chairman in Region 10 ended in a tie back in October.

WIN Party Candidate Mark Goring, and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Candidate, Dominique Blair tied for the position of Regional Chairman when the election was held among Councilors on October 10.

The Region 10 Clerk of Council, Dwight John, who presided over the election, had announced that the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development would have to use her casting vote to elect the Regional Chairman.

But while appearing on GoMoseley Radio this morning, Minister Manickchand reminded that the laws governing the election of Regional Chairmen were amended between 2015 and 2020 to remove the role of the minister.

“Somewhere around 2017 the role of the Minister changed, and I agree with the change. It was that the Minister, who is a politically partisan person, regardless of which government is in, would broker or be the person who decides who becomes the chair if something like this happens, and that changed. The minister no longer has a role to determine who is going to become a chairman if you have a tie,” Minister Maninckchand explained.

Days after the election ended in gridlock, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) threatened to initiate legal actions in the High Court, if the Region 10 Clerk of Council did not convene a meeting within 48 hours to elect the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council of Region 10.

Though that ultimatum has long expired, there has been no movement on the election of the Regional Chairman, and Vice Chairman.

Minister Manickchand said that there is a process to be engaged, and she hopes it is activated soon. The responsibility, she said, lies with the Clerk of Council.

“I have no doubt that Region 10 is going to have their process moved forward and a chair and vice chair would be determined. Sometimes it is far more than you see on the surface. I think the parties there have their own issues too,” Minister Manickchand said.

Last week, on the sidelines of the swearing in ceremony for the Regional Chairs and Vice Chairs for the other nine regions, President Iraan Ali expressed confidence that the elections would be held at the appropriate time.

“I am sure that within the ambit of the constitution, and within the ambit of the rules governing the elections that the Chair and Vice Chair of Region 10 will be sworn in at the appropriate time when they conclude their election,” the President told reporters.

In a pre-action letter, WIN’s Attorney Siand Dhurjon contended that the Clerk of Council erred during the electoral process and must re-commence voting for the two top regional positions.

According to the Attorney, the decision by the Clerk of Council to “unceremoniously” suspend the process of election of the Regional Chairman was unlawful, explaining then that there is no longer any power held by the Minister to unilaterally determine and impose the Chairmanship of any Regional Democratic Council.

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