Granger and Jagdeo agree on new GECOM Chair

President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo have finally arrived at a consensus on the selection of the new chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). Justice Claudette Singh, SC, CCH, was selected by the President from a list of six names proposed by the Opposition Leader, which President Granger found not unacceptable. The selection process for the new GECOM Chairperson had started when Justice James Patterson resigned from the post, following a ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that his appointment was flawed and unconstitutional. The nature of this selection broke from convention, as the two sides opted to “hammer out” the names together, prompted by a suggestion by the CCJ, in its ruling.

The president and the opposition leader met Friday at the Ministry of the Presidency where they engaged in a series of meetings to discuss the final stages of the selection process for a list of six nominees. The final list agreed to by Jagdeo included retired judges BS Roy, William Ramlall and Claudette Singh; Attorneysat-Law, Kashir Khan and Ronald Burch-Smith; and Governance Specialist, Lawrence Latchmansingh. “The president received and reviewed the list of nominees later this afternoon in an effort to bring the selection process to a speedy and favorable conclusion,” a release from the Ministry of the Presidency indicated. The president determined that the selection of Justice Singh satisfies the ruling for the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that the appointment of the GECOM chair should be consensual. She is expected to be sworn in on Monday. Justice Singh’s name was suggested by the opposition leader. Jagdeo said that there is no question of a unilateral appointment being done. This, he noted, brings Guyana one stage closer to an election date, “which must now be announced… in keeping with the CCJ ruling.”

The opposition leader said that Justice Singh’s selection is a “real positive development for all of us and for the country”, adding that both sides demonstrated good faith in arriving at the decision.

(Kaieteur News)