The first official Cabinet meeting convened by the new administration was not chaired by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo as is stipulated under the Cummingsburg Accord signed by APNU and the AFC to contest the elections.
According to reliable sources, Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, which lasted the entire day and was followed up by a post-Cabinet meeting, was chaired by President David Granger.
The first meeting last week, which was informal and had the attendance of all 25 ministers unlike Tuesday’s, which saw the attendance of only the senior ministers and those based within the Ministry of the Presidency, was also chaired by Granger, with Nagamootoo sitting to his side. Unlike the informal meeting, the Ministry of Presidency did not release a photograph of the meeting even though one was promised.
According to the February 14th Accord, the President shall among other things delegate the responsibilities of domestic national affairs and the chairing of Cabinet. Other responsibilities delegated to the Prime Minister should have included recommending ministerial appointments and providing the organisational structures of ministries for the approval of the President; appointment of head of agencies and non-constitutional commissions with the required and agreed democratic mechanisms of consultation and domestic security (Home Affairs). The parties had also agreed that Cabinet positions would be allocated on a 60/40 basis between APNU and the AFC, respectively.
