The main opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) says it will urge supporters not to participate in the “illegal” house to house registration exercise being conducted by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) ahead of the regional and general elections, a date for which has not yet been named.
In a statement, the PPP said that its leadership met to discuss the registration exercise that began last Saturday and “decided that to participate in the Guyana Elections Commission’s illegal National House to House Registration will make it complicit in aiding and abetting the violation of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) June 18th 2019 rulings and July 12th 2019 consequential orders, which upheld the Guyana Constitution”.
The CCJ, which is the country’s highest court, noted that while it cannot “establish a date on or by which elections must be held” it also could “not lay down timelines and deadlines that in principle are the preserves of political actors guided by constitutional imperatives”.
But the CCJ said it must assume that “these bodies and personages will exercise their responsibilities with integrity and in keeping with the unambiguous provisions of the Constitution, bearing in mind that the no confidence motion was validly passed as long ago as 21st December 2018.”
Under the Guyana Constitution, elections therefore must be held within a 90 day period following the passage of the motion in the parliament or unless extended by the legislative body.
The PPP said that the CCJ had also indicated that GECOM had a responsibility to abide by the Constitution when conducting the poll.
“The PPP, therefore, shall not participate in this illegal unilateral activity by the Chief Elections Officer which threatens peace and stability in the country and undermines constitutional rule. The Chief Elections Officer has embarked on a House to House Registration in defiance of the Caribbean Court of Justice, the apex court of Guyana, and, even in defiance of the advice of GECOM’s internal legal officer, at a time when there is no functioning Commission in place.
“He must be stopped. The approach to the court to bring an injunction to stop the National House to House Registration is one stage of the struggle to ensure that constitutional rule is preserved,” the party said.
It said it is “convinced” that the house to house registration “is intended to deliberately de-register thousands of Guyanese voters.
“The objective is to delay elections to facilitate the APNU/AFC government remaining in office illegally after September 18th 2019. The PPP gives notice that it will, therefore, not accept any voters’ lists generated by this illegal exercise.
“We remain resolute in our position that the illegal house to house registration must be stopped and that the claims and objection period must commence. GECOM must immediately start preparations for general and regional elections in compliance with Article 106 (7) of the Constitution and the CCJ’s rulings and consequential orders.”
The PPP said it was urging Guyanese “not to support this illegal exercise and calls on all political parties, civil society and other stakeholders, including the international community, to condemn this unconstitutional act”.
On Monday, the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, responding to a letter sent to him by the Private Sector Commission (PSC) calling for an immediate end to the registration process, said that GECOM’s legal officer Excellence Dazzell had upon his request “advised that, “In light of the judgement of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCI) on 18 June 2019, which stated that the process by which Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission was appointed was flawed, every act done by that Chairman (Justice (Rtd) James Patterson) after 18 June 2019 would be void.
“However, acts done before 18 June 2019 would be valid since those acts would have been done on the premise that the appointment was bona fide,” he added.
