Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo today (August 8, 2019) reiterated that after September 18, 2019, the caretaker Coalition Government will not have any legitimacy.
His comment comes on the heels of President David Granger refusing a request by the Opposition Leader to uphold the recent ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and constitutional provisions.
On Wednesday, the Head of State responded to a letter sent by Jagdeo over two weeks ago, requesting that he and his Cabinet uphold Article 106 of the Constitution and the CCJ’s ruling and subsequent consequential orders by resigning and calling elections.
But President Granger said, in response, that he will not accede to the Opposition’s request.
To this end, Jagdeo reiterated that constitutional rule will end on September 18, which will be three months since the CCJ ruled that the No-Confidence Motion was validly passed against the government, giving effect to Articles 106 (6) and (7).
“Constitutional rule will cease on that day. We are in unchartered waters. The government will be a usurper in office and it cannot claim necessity if it’s self-imposed… We’re making it clear that after September 18, the government does not any legitimacy. In fact, constitutional rule ends at that date in Guyana,” he told pointed out to reporters at his weekly press conference.
According to the Opposition Leader, the Trinidad-based regional court’s ruling was clear and is being understood by everyone except the caretaker Coalition Government.
“Any sensible person reading the Constitution, [even] a child in school can tell you what it means. The language is clear as the CCJ said. It doesn’t need to buffer the language of the Constitution, it’s unambiguous. But [the President] has decided here to say ‘I’m not complying the Constitution,” Jagdeo stated.
Articles 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution says that the President and his Cabinet shall resign after the passage of a no confidence motion and call elections within three months.
At a hearing last month, the CCJ said that the constitutional actors, including the President and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), have a responsibility to uphold the “unambiguous” provisions of the Guyana Constitution.
