In a joint statement today, the Diplomatic representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Commission issued a call for President David Granger to set a date for elections immediately.
The joint statement came hours after the Chairman of the Elections Commission indicated to the President that the Commission will be ready for elections by February 2020.
In its statement, the diplomats said it has taken note of the timeline put forward by GECOM and pointed out that by the Government not calling elections by the 18th September, which marked three months after the CCJ’s ruling, it was now in breach of the Constitution.
“We deeply regret that, by surpassing September 18, the Government is currently in breach of the Constitution following its failure to adhere to the decisions of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on 18 June and its subsequent orders”, the statement said.
The Caribbean Court of Justice while ruling back in June that the December 2018 no-confidence motion was valid, stayed clear of setting a date or timeline for elections.
But the US, UK and EU Diplomats in their statement said the current situation comes at great cost to the people of Guyana.
According to the diplomats, “the prevailing political uncertainty undermines Guyanese institutions, compromises economic opportunities and delays development across all areas including infrastructure, education, health, and social services. It also hinders our ability to support Guyana’s development needs”.
In a comment to the media after attending a luncheon of the Manufacturers Association, President David Granger said he government is not in breach of the Constitution the foreign missions should allow the Government to deal with the current political situation.
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