Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has begun his quest to find another six nominees to submit to President David Granger for the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom).
In a brief statement which was accompanied by photographs, the Office of the Leader of the Opposition said that Jagdeo met various stakeholders yesterday for further consultation on the submission of the third set of names for the President’s consideration.
On May 2, Jagdeo submitted a list which comprised retired judges BS Roy and William Ramlal, attorneys Oneidge Walrond-Allicock, Nadia Sagar and Kashir Khan and businessman Gerry Gouveia in keeping with certain criteria outlined by Granger. This was the second list. The first list was submitted in January.
Several weeks later Granger announced that it was rejected and later invited Jagdeo to a meeting at State House to further discuss the matter. Following that meeting it was agreed that a third list of nominees would be submitted and that a high-level team will be established to explore all modalities for a resolution should this list be rejected.
A joint statement by the two sides issued by the Ministry of the Presidency stated that on an invitation from the President, Jagdeo and a team consisting of PPP/C MPs Anil Nandlall and Irfaan Ali met Granger and a team comprising Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman to consult on the way forward for the selection of a Gecom Chairman in accordance with Article 161 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana. According to the statement, the two parties agreed that it would be in the best interest of the people of Guyana that the choice of a Chairperson of Gecom is made “without undue delay”.
It was further agreed that the Leader of the Opposition will submit “a new list of six names to the President”. There was no timeframe for this submission.
It was also agreed that a high-level team would be assembled “representing the President and the Leader of the Opposition which will begin to work immediately on exploring modalities to bring a resolution to this matter in the event that the list is rejected.” The statement provided no further details.
Jagdeo had publicly expressed confidence in the second list as according to him five of those listed met the criteria outlined by the President.
In keeping with the Constitution, Jagdeo must submit a list of six nominees from which Granger is to make a choice.
Gecom has been without a Chairman since February.
