Guyana Bar Association Accuses Government Of Operating Outside Rule Of Law

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, September 20, 2019 (CMC) – The Bar Association of Guyana has condemned what it called the failure by the government to hold general and regional elections, within the period mandated by the Constitution following the passage of a no-confidence motion.

In a statement, today, the Association said the government is now operating outside the rule of law.

“By failing to abide by the clear and unambiguous terms of the Constitution, the government of Guyana has abdicated its responsibility, violated the Constitution, is operating outside of the rule of law and in breach of internationally-recognised standards of democracy,” the statement added.

The Association said it notes, that in its judgment, in the consolidated no-confidence cases of July 12, 2019, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) said that the meaning of the constitutional provisions requiring elections, is clear and it placed the responsibility of honouring those provisions on the constitutional actors in Guyana.

The Association said while it notes that the Court did not order elections, it was clear that it expressed its expectation that constitutional responsibilities would have been exercised with integrity, in keeping with the Constitution.

“The constitutional duty and responsibility of the President was to fix a date for elections, within the three-month period set out in the Constitution in the absence of a Parliamentary extension of that period, which extension the Bar Council notes was not sought and or obtained before the period expired,” the Association said.

President David Granger has said that it is the Guyana Elections Commission that has to indicate its readiness to host elections, adding that he has followed the Constitution and has not breached it.