The Commonwealth group of countries has joined the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union in calling on President David Granger to set a date for elections now that the Elections Commission has indicated that it will be ready by the end of February 2020.
In an early morning statement, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, urged President Granger and all relevant stakeholders and institutions to “restore constitutional rule in Guyana” by immediately setting an early election date in consonance with its constitution, enabling elections to be held without further delay.
The Secretary-General said she has taken note of the 18 June 2019 ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and its consequential orders of 12 July 2019.
She said the CCJ’s ruling was clear that the Guyana Constitution sets out certain requirements for the time of an election after the valid passing of a no-confidence motion.
“The rule of law and constitutional governance are fundamental Commonwealth values to which Guyana has subscribed”, the statement said.
The Commonwealth SG said a general election in Guyana is now constitutionally overdue and a general election should be held in accordance with the “unambiguous constitutional imperative to do so”.
She said she has spoken with the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and has discussed Commonwealth support to GECOM.
President David Granger on Sunday told reporters that he will be meeting his Cabinet on Tuesday to further discuss announcing a date for elections.
The President has said it is the Elections Commission and not the Executive that is charged with the hosting of elections.
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