Dual citizenship major headache for small parties
Recently, much public criticism has come against leaders of several small parties who hold dual citizenship but have been vying for a seat or more in the National Assembly following the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.
Just on Nomination Day, when parties showed up at the Umana Yana to hand in their various lists of Candidates, there was mystery around whether Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lenox Shuman was still a Canadian citizen. When pressed by the media before handing in his party’s lists - on which he signed a
Statutory Declaration Form as candidate - Shuman said that he had surrendered all of his documents to the Canadian Government and it was now “for them to deicide”. He claimed that his “citizenship has been renounced” although he is yet to receive any correspondence from the Canadian Government and he would therefore remain a citizen of Canada until such.
After submitting his list and questioned again by reporters about his dual citizenship, Shuman said: “That issue has been resolved, as I said. I would not come to submit a list, sign a declaration and perjure myself.
I intend on upholding the Constitution of Guyana.”
The Statutory Declaration Form signed by Shuman first confirms that he is aware of the provisions of articles 53 and 155 of the Constitution with respect to the qualifications for election as a Member of the National Assembly. Article 155 of the Constitution states: “(1) No person shall be qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly who – (a) is, by virtue of his or her own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state.”
(Guyana Chronicle)