Ruling of CJ dismissing case for residency requirement in 2025 electoral process

Dear Editor,
The landmark ruling by the Hon. Chief Justice (ag) stands as yet another resounding victory for Guyana’s Constitutional Democratic Order and a reaffirmation of the rule of law, constitutional supremacy, and unassailable right of all eligible citizens to vote, regardless of their physical residency.
This judgment again puts to rest a matter that has been exhaustively litigated and repeatedly ruled upon by our courts at all levels. It is a principled and judicious dismissal of yet another attempt by the APNU/AFC coalition to use legal subterfuge to reintroduce, through the back door, the now discredited and unlawful house-to-house registration exercise.
This case was never about upholding democracy or improving electoral integrity. It was a calculated and cynical attempt to once again suppress the vote and gerrymander the electorate in favour of a coalition that has consistently demonstrated a willingness to subvert democratic norms.
The public must recall that the APNU/AFC first pushed for house-to-house registration frontally. When that failed under judicial scrutiny, they shifted narratives, concocting the unsubstantiated claim that “dead people voted” in 2020. That, too, failed under scrutiny.
Then came their advocacy for the introduction of biometric verification at polling stations: a tactic dressed in the language of modernization, but motivated by the same exclusionary ends. When that argument failed to find credible legal or logistical standing, they pivoted yet again — this time to the issue of voter address verification, resurrecting a phantom concern under the guise of electoral reform.
What links all these attempts is a clear, coordinated strategy to restrict the franchise and tip the scales of future elections, not through persuasion or policy, but through manipulation and misrepresentation.
We must also address a deeper historical reality that cannot be ignored: the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the dominant force in the APNU, has a well-documented history of electoral rigging and undemocratic governance. From the post-independence period through the 1980s, the PNC’s hold on power was sustained not by the will of the people, but through fraudulent elections that made Guyana an international case study in electoral authoritarianism.
That legacy came into sharp relief once again during the 2020 General and Regional Elections, when the APNU/AFC coalition attempted one of the most brazen electoral thefts in the post-independence Caribbean. The world watched in disbelief as falsified tabulations were produced, legally mandated verification processes were obstructed, and the rights of voters were trampled upon.
The refusal to accept the outcome of a free and fair election, confirmed by local monitors, international observers, CARICOM, the OAS, the Commonwealth, and the diplomatic corps, exposed the true face of the coalition. It was only under the weight of international condemnation, diplomatic pressure, and the looming threat of economic sanctions that the APNU/AFC abandoned their anti-democratic charade.
Let us never forget the blatant illegalities committed in the lead-up to those elections: the refusal to abide by the Constitution after the passage of the No Confidence Motion in 2018; the unconscionable delay in appointing a GECOM Chair; and the unilateral installation of Justice Patterson, which was subsequently ruled unconstitutional by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). These were not mere missteps; they were deliberate assaults on our democracy.
To date, five years later, the APNU, the AFC, and the PNCR have failed to produce the Statements of Poll (SOPs) that they claim show a victory in 2020. Why? Because they do not exist. Their refusal to come clean about their 2020 attempt to hijack the electoral process is a damning indictment of their political ethics and fitness to hold public office.
The Guyanese people must not be lulled into amnesia or cynicism. We must remember that democracy is not a self-executing ideal. It must be defended continuously from those who seek to undermine it. The APNU/AFC’s record of electoral deception, judicial manipulation, and misinformation makes them unfit for public office, now or ever.
We call upon the Guyanese electorate to vigilantly reject these latest schemes designed to undermine the authority of GECOM, derail the 2025 electoral process, and once again plunge Guyana into political instability.
We also call upon Caricom, our international partners, and multilateral institutions to stay alert and engaged. Electoral integrity in Guyana is not only a domestic issue, it is a regional and global matter. We urge them to exert pressure on APNU/AFC to desist from further attempts at undermining the democratic will of the Guyanese people.
The Liberty and Justice Party reaffirms its unwavering commitment to a free, fair and inclusive electoral process, and stands resolute in its defense of constitutionalism, participatory democracy, and the sovereign voice of every Guyanese citizen.
Let today’s ruling be a warning to those who persist in pursuing political power through undemocratic means: The Constitution remains supreme, the people remain vigilant, and justice will always prevail.

Sincerely,
Lenox R. O. Shuman,
Chairman – Liberty
and Justice Party