Supreme Court urged to notify PPP/C if legal proceedings filed

Elections recount

Former Attorney General and Executive Member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Anil Nandlall has written the Supreme Court, asking to be notified if any legal action is filed in relation to the National Recount of votes cast on March 2, 2020.
In fact, Nandlall is requesting an opportunity to be heard by the court before any order is granted in relation to the recount activity.
“Please be informed that should any legal proceedings be filed in the Supreme Court of Judicature in relation to, or in connection with, or in any manner whatsoever, touching and concerning the National Recount of ballots cast at the General and Regional Elections held in Guyana on March 2, 2020, being conducted by the Guyana Elections Commission, at the Arthur Chung Convention Center, I hereby respectfully request an opportunity to be heard before any Order of Court is made or any relief is granted by any Court in the Supreme Court of Judicature in respect of any such legal proceedings,” Nandlall said in the letter dated June 8.
The letter is addressed to the Registrar of the Supreme Court and copied to the Registrar of the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature as well as the Registrar of the Court of Appeal.
Nandlall pointed out in the correspondence that “I act for and on behalf of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, an interested party that would be aggrieved or affected by any such order or relief.”
His letter was dispatched amid concerns that the APNU/AFC coalition might approach the courts to block GECOM from declaring the results of the 2020 General and Regional Elections – which was held more than three months ago.
The recount of the votes cast at the March 2 polls has confirmed a landslide victory for the PPP/C, which secured over 15,000 votes more than its main political rival, the APNU/AFC coalition.
The David Granger-led party has been resorting to the courts to hang on to Executive power, starting with the legal actions they filed following the passage of the No-Confidence Motion in December 2018 – which had mandated them to call elections within three months.
The party had also, after its leader agreed to have a National Recount supervised by the Caribbean Community (Caricom), resorted to the courts through its supporter Ulita Moore to block the exercise from taking place.
This legal action resulted in more delays. Eventually, the recount action began on May 6 and now, 34 days later, it has finally been completed.
GECOM has until June 16 to make a final declaration of the results, after which steps will be taken to have the new President sworn-in and the democratically elected Government, which represents the will of the people, installed.