The Government of Guyana has confirmed that the unilaterally appointed Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission Justice James Patterson has demitted office.
See statement below:
Georgetown, Guyana (June 25, 2019): President David Granger, this morning, met former Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson, who has since demitted office.
President Granger thanked Justice Patterson for his service over the past 20 months. The former GECOM Chair resigned on Monday June 24, 2019 thereby rendering that post vacant.
The decision by the former GECOM Chair to demit office is in keeping with the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that his appointment was “flawed” and thereby unconstitutional.
The Government of Guyana reiterates its acceptance of the CCJ ruling in the case of Zulfikar Mustafa and the Attorney General of Guyana and the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission.
Justice Patterson was appointed as GECOM Chair in October 2017.
