His Excellency, President Dr Irfaan Ali on Thursday proclaimed that the 12th Parliament will convene on September 1, 2020 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.
President Irfaan Ali
The Proclamation stated that President Ali, in pursuance of the powers conferred upon him by Article 69 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana, has issued Proclamation Number 1 of 2020 declaring September 1, 2020 as the date for the sitting of the Twelfth Parliament.
President Ali, also in pursuance of Article 69 (1) of the Constitution, has designated the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at 5E Half Orchid Drive, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown as the place where the opening of the Twelfth Parliament will be held at 10:00 hours, it further stated.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Parliament will now be held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre
The Proclamation also states that this venue shall begin and remain as such until advice is received from the Public Health Minister that the safety measures, including social distancing with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, are no longer necessary. It adds that once this is done, sittings will be held in the Parliament Chamber of the Public Building on Brickdam, Georgetown.
By Proclamation dated December 27, 2019 issued under Article 70 (2) of the Constitution, the Eleventh Parliament of Guyana was dissolved on December 30, 2019.
All arrangements have been made for the convening of the 12th Parliament, for which measures have been put in place to ensure social distancing and other COVID-19 precautionary measures among parliamentarians. This was confirmed by Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs.
Sherlock Isaacs
He had, earlier in the week, told Guyana Times that “I am prepared. I have received the declaration from the Guyana Elections Commission, role calling, mailing lists and so on. I have prepared the register. I just met with the Army, the Police, the Ministry of Health, discussing the convening of Parliament and subsequent sittings. [I have met] with Protocol Officers of the Office of the President, Foreign Affairs…”
There has been no Parliament since May 23, 2019, mainly because of the successful passage of a no-confidence motion against the APNU/AFC Administration on December 21, 2018. But although the motion was passed, the APNU/AFC Government refused to demit office, and brought a slew of legal challenges to the validity of the motion.
Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) later affirmed the no-confidence motion.
During that time, only members on the governing side attended Parliamentary sittings.
Members of the Opposition PPP/C had committed to not attending sittings until after elections were held, as the successful passage of the motion required that elections be held three months thereafter, on March 21, 2019.
But GECOM failed to hold General and Regional Elections within the constitutionally mandated period, mainly because it was not prepared for the snap elections. Parliament was later dissolved on December 30, 2019, paving the way for the March 2, 2020 elections.
The Elections results are as follows: PPP/C will hold a majority in the National Assembly with 33 seats; the APNU/AFC Coalition have 31 seats, while the joinder parties –A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), and The New Movement (TNM) – will have one seat.
Once Parliament reconvenes, its Members will select a Speaker of the National Assembly. The last Speaker was Dr. Barton Scotland. High on the agenda will be the passage of the National Budget, since the last one was passed in December 2018 to the tune of $267.1 billion.
