No GECOM Statutory Meeting today as Chairman’s medical leave is extended

Mr. Patterson was expected to be back at work today, but according to a statement from the Elections Commission, he has stated that following a visit to his doctor on Monday, his medical leave was extended.

No GECOM Statutory Meeting today as Chairman’s medical leave is extended

Today’s scheduled statutory meeting of the Guyana Elections Commission will not take place as the Chairman of the Commission, Retired Justice James Patterson has informed that his medical leave has been extended.  For a statutory meeting to take place, it would have to be convened by the Chairman of the Commission.

Mr. Patterson was expected to be back at work today, but according to a statement from the Elections Commission, he has stated that following a visit to his doctor on Monday, his medical leave was extended.

He said he was advised by his doctor to have some additional rest to ensure that he fully recovers to effectively resume duty.

The Commission has not hosted a statutory meeting since November. The meeting which was scheduled for December was also cancelled because of the Chairman’s illness.

In a telephone interview with News Source last week, the GECOM Chairman said he was ready to return to work and was feeling as if he had been given a new lease on life.

He did not disclose the seriousness of his illness, but the 85-year-old retired Judge indicated that he was feeling much better.

With the recent no-confidence vote in the National Assembly, the Guyana Elections could find itself preparing for national elections sooner than it had envisioned.

Under the Constitution, following the passage of a no-confidence motion, elections should be called within three months or at a time agreed to by two-thirds of the National Assembly.

President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo are set to meet on the issue on Wednesday, even as the Government has moved to the Courts to challenge the validity of the no-confidence vote.

 

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