The People’s Progressive Party is still to compile its list of parliamentarians while the Guyana Elections Commission has approved the 2015 General and Regional Election results inclusive of the government’s list of MPs which have been gazetted.
The party’s General Secretary Clement Rohee refused to say yesterday, at the party’s weekly press briefing held at Freedom House, whether the party would even attend the opening of the 11th Parliament tomorrow.
When Stabroek News sought to clarify the party’s positon as it relates to why the MPs list has not been compiled and if the party will be taking its 32 seats in the National Assembly Rohee stated that no decision has been made as yet.
Rohee said members of the party along with party supporters were fully up to date on the current situation, however he gave no further clarity to multiple questions by the media.
While Rohee remains the General Secretary of the PPP he did not confirm whether former president Donald Ramotar would remain in essence the leader of the party. He said the mechanisms of the party would have to dictate through the Executive and Central Executive Committee the way forward in terms of leadership.
He did say though that since the National Assembly had made provisions for training of new MPs on behalf of the government the same would be expected when and should the PPP provide its list.
In 2011, when the PPP was re-elected into office President Ramotar had submitted the government’s 32 MP list within 48 hours of being sworn into office.
The Coalition’s list for 2015 was not submitted within the 15-day period that is provided for under the Representation of the People’s Act which would allow for the gazetting of all technical results. The Act states that “As soon as practicable, but no later than 15 days after election days the Commission shall publically declare the results of the election and shall cause to publish in the Gazette a notification thereof, specifying (a) the number of votes cast or each list of candidates; (b) the number of rejected ballot papers; (c) the number of seats allocated to each list of candidates; and (d) the names of persons who as a result of the election have become members of the National Assembly.”
A provision in the Act does allow Gecom an extension of time prior to gazetting, however once the results are gazetted the commission will need to provide an explanation as to why this was done.
Last week following the commission’s statutory meeting, Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield told Stabroek News that after discussions with both Gecom’s legal counsel, Juanita Barker and PPP/C-appointed Commissioner Sase Gunraj, the commission had resolved that there were no legal complications with the gazetting of the government MPs list without that of the opposition’s.
