The WPA yesterday said that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is unable to guarantee credible elections with the current voters’ list and called for a “workable solution” that would satisfy the main political groupings.
“WPA is concerned that rushing to an election with a tainted list and the possible disenfranchisement of new voters would be unconstitutional and worse could aggravate tensions in the society that may prove counterproductive in the long run,” the party, a partner in the APNU bloc of the APNU+AFC coalition government, said in a statement. The party’s position on the voters’ list echoes that of President David Granger and other members of his government.
“Further, such a course of action could activate a new round of court actions that would ultimately cause more delays. We should not sacrifice one sacred principle in the undue haste to satisfy another one – what is needed is a formula that satisfies both,” the WPA said while observing that this calls for political will and maturity on the part of the leaders.
The WPA’s statement followed last week’s rulings by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that the no-confidence motion brought against the Granger-led APNU+AFC administration was validly passed with the votes of 33 members of the 65-member National Assembly last December, thereby compelling the resignation of Cabinet and the holding of general elections. The court also ruled that Granger’s appointment of current GECOM Chairman Justice James Patterson breached the Constitution.
In the statement yesterday, the party urged acceptance of the CCJ’s rulings even if there are partisan disagreements with or disappointment at the outcome. “In so doing, we affirm the legitimacy of the institutions we have collectively created and agreed to. In this regard, the swift recognition by the sitting government whose arguments did not find favour with the court was most encouraging,” the statement said.
The WPA noted that the issues arising from the two cases are central to Guyana’s and the CARICOM sub-region’s political process. Nothing can be more important than the removal of a constitutionally elected government by means other than the electoral process or the process by which the chairperson of the elections commission is appointed, it said.
The party observed that the court has given the two sides an opportunity to arrive at a consensus on the orders to flow from the rulings. It noted that as far as guidance is concerned, the court suggested a “happy marriage between principle and practicality.”
“For the WPA, this is a fair balance that should be embraced by all sides,” the statement said while noting that the ball is once again in the court of the political leadership and is another test of their political maturity “which has so often been absent from their deliberations.” The party said that it “prefers a workable solution by the two sides rather than an order from the CCJ, which, in any case, seems reluctant to insert itself beyond its rulings.”
The WPA highlighted that the key question is when elections should be held. “Understandably both sides would like a timeline that maximises their chances of victory at the polls. But the gravity of the situation demands consensus over partisanship,” the statement said, while adding that the WPA believes that this must be the basis for “a happy marriage between principle and practicality.”
The party said that the constitutional timeline of 90 days should be married to the practicality of holding credible elections within that timeframe.
“Credible elections are as sacrosanct as honouring the constitutional timeline that follows a successful No Confidence Vote. What is at stake is respect for both the rule of law and the need for free and fair elections in which all citizens are guaranteed the right to participate. WPA is satisfied that GECOM is not able to guarantee credible elections with the current voters’ list. Given our history of controversial voters’ lists and charges of crooked elections, WPA prefers to err on the side of electoral integrity,” the party declared.
