[www.inewsguyuana.com] – Former President Bharrat Jagdeo could not be reached up to this morning (Tuesday, February 03) regarding a motion filed in the High Court challenging the constitutionality of the presidential two-term limit imposed. A motion challenging this constitutional provision was brought by a Georgetown resident, Cedric Richardson.
Guyana’s Constitution states that a person elected as President after the year 2000 is eligible for re-election only once.
At the moment, the former President is the only one to whom the constitutional provisions apply, since all other former Presidents have passed away.
iNews understands that Jagdeo is in Europe on overseas duties. The former President had previously indicated no interest in seeking another term but recently, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee noted that he might be part of the 2015 elections campaign.
The motion names Attorney General, Anil Nandlall and Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman as respondents.
In his writ, Richardson claims that Act No 17 of 2001 passed by a two-thirds majority of members of the National Assembly that purportedly altered Article 90 of the Constitution “curtails and restricts the sovereign and democratic rights and freedom as a qualified elector to elect the person of former President Bharrat Jagdeo as the Executive President of Guyana.
He argues that Act No 17 of 2001 has the consequence (advertent or inadvertent) of restricting and curtailing the democratic rights and freedom of the electorate by purporting to eliminate from the Executive Presidential Candidate a person who has been re-elected as Executive President.
iNews has been unable to get the immediate reaction of both the Attorney General and the Speaker of the National Assembly to this motion.
