Opposition using all tactics to delay hosting of LGE – AG Nandlall

– says GECOM is obliged by law to proceed with elections

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, says that the APNU/AFC Opposition’s recent claim that the Local Government Minister has no power to set boundary demarcations is reflective of yet another attempt by the Coalition to delay the holding of the long overdue Local Government Elections (LGE).

Local Government polls are constitutionally due every two years, and it was last held in 2018.
In October, March 13, 2023, was set for the holding of the LGE with Nominations Day initially slated for December 12, 2022. However, last week, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) decided to postpone Nominations Day activities in order to conduct an Exercise to correct the Registers of Voters for the holding of Local Government Elections.
This was in response to a legal challenge the Opposition filed in the High Court.
According to Nandlall, now that the government-nominated Commissioner at GECOM agreed to do what they want and will conduct a new Claims and Objection exercise, the Opposition has found another issue to pick at as part of their delaying tactics. – and
“Today, when they realize that [the legal challenge] now would be rendered moot, or be evaporated, they now come with a new issue now and that is a question of ministers don’t have the power to demarcate boundaries. This is another attempt at stalling. They don’t want the Local Government Elections. So, they will come with all kinds of shenanigans – all types of and all manner of foolish arguments to detain and delay the Guyana Elections Commission. I am calling the Guyana Elections Commission to proceed to hold Local Government Elections that are lawfully due under the laws of Guyana,” the AG stated during his weekly programme, Issues of the News.
The Attorney General pointed out that GECOM has a duty to hold elections in accordance with the time stipulated by law unless Parliament extends that time, which has not been done.
“GECOM, therefore, is obliged by law to proceed as quickly as possible to hold these Local Government Elections,” Nandlall insisted.
However, he noted that the APNU/AFC, which is imploding within, is mortally fearful of local government polls.
“The PNC is in utter shambles. And the coalition is now disengaging,” he said.
Nandlall outlined that the AFC is no longer a political force but has been reduced to a mere grouping of individuals who are Members of Parliament.
“So, there is no Coalition anymore after December [since the AFC has decided to part ways with the APNU]. It’s a disorganized PNC and another grouping called the AFC which has a total of about 20 persons, and they are not organized. They are unable to mobilize. I suspect that they have no money whatsoever,” he posited.
Moreover, the AG noted that even their supporters have also begun to realize that the Coalition is a “visionless, incompetent grouping” who can even represent them in the parliament or anywhere else.
“This incompetence is becoming self-evident. So, they can’t inspire anybody anymore. They don’t have any mass, ability to pull or any ability to pull any crowd anywhere. So, in that state of decay, they don’t want to go to Local Government Elections because if they go to Local Government Elections, they know that they would be properly trashed, and completely whipped and they know that. And that will do greater damage to them for the national elections because it will send a clear and present signal to their supporters and the international community that these degenerate groups are degenerating even further,” he stated.
Meanwhile, on the issue of the demarcation of the boundaries, AG Nandlall contends that the provision for this is outlined in the law books. He maintains that the power to divide Guyana is a power that lies with the Minister of Local Government, while GECOM has the power to adjust the electoral divisions to suit the physical demarcation made by the Minister for electoral purposes.
“The division of Guyana into any demarcation whether you want to call it a region, a village council, a local authority area, a municipality, or a constituency that power of division is that of the Minister for the purpose of an election. Now, the power to do election things lies with the Election Commission. The country has electoral divisions, obviously, the power to adjust those electoral divisions to bring them into the physical demarcation of the Minister is that of GECOM. They want GECOM to divide the country in the constituency. They want GECOM to form constituencies. The minister carves out a place and said this shall be the constituency, GECOM now has to adjust the Election Division to form that into a constituency. That simple principle they cannot understand,” the Attorney General argued.