The Caribbean Court of Justice today threw out a controversial Guyana Court of Appeal decision that inserted the word valid into the consideration of votes for the election of a President.
President of the Court Adrian Saunders said in a unanimous decision that the decision of the Court of Appeal was null and void and of no effect.
The court also said that the report of the Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield of June 23 cutting over 115,000 votes is invalid and of no effect.
The CCJ’s ruling today is seen as clearing the way for GECOM Chair Justice Claudette Singh to immediately move for the declaration of the recount result which shows that the opposition PPP/C has won the election.
Justice Saunders was scathing in his concern that the election process has gone on for too long. He said it is now left to the Guyana Elections Commission to secure the report from the CEO that it instructed on June 16th that he deliver based on the recount of votes.
He said that matters raised by counsel for Edlyn David and Joseph Harmon fall within the jurisdiction of the High Court and an election petition.
Justice Saunders said the court could not be oblivious to all that has transpired in Guyana since December, 2018 – when the motion of no-confidence was passed against the APNU+AFC government.
He noted that four months after the March 2nd elections there has been no result and that the country has been without a Parliament for more than a year.
No one he said could be satisfied with this state of affairs.
On behalf of the five-member panel he said “Now the law must run its course”.
