‘Refrain from acts that can incite violence’ …UN representative urges Guyana political leaders

United Nations, Resident Coordinator in Guyana, Ms. Mikiko Tanaka has urged political leaders to help forge peace as the country awaits the decision of the Caribbean Court of Justice, regarding the March 2, 2020 elections.

“As the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice is awaited, we call on all political leaders and their supporters to remain patient and refrain from acts and remarks that could incite hostility or violence,” Tanaka said in a terse statement Friday morning. She added: I would like to reiterate the United Nations’ commitment to continue to support the people of Guyana.”
After listening to more than five hours of legal arguments on whether it has jurisdiction to hear an appeal to the Court of Appeal’s decision that the election of a President must be on the basis of “valid votes,” the CCJ on Wednesday announced that it will hand down its decision next Wednesday at 15:00hrs.

In his submissions to the panel of five judges led by President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders, Guyana’s Attorney General, while maintaining that the country’s apex court had no jurisdiction to hear an appeal to decision made under Article 177 (4) of the Constitution, submitted that it was widespread anomalies and cases of voter impersonation that warranted a clear indication that the President ought to be elected on the basis of “valid votes.” Trinidad’s Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes – the lead attorney for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo; and Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali (the appellants), while confirming that the court has no jurisdiction to hear an appeal to a decision made under Article 177 (4), submitted to the CCJ that the Court of Appeal had no decision to hear the case, and it’s decision was bad in law.

On that basis, Mendes, whose submissions were endorsed by Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran and Attorneys-at-Law Kashir Khan and Timothy Jonas, argued that the Court had jurisdiction to hear the appeal, and in hearing the appeal should set aside the decision of the lower court. The Court of Appeal on June 22 ordered that the words “more votes are cast” in Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution be interpreted to mean “more valid votes are cast” in a case brought by Eslyn David – a North Sophia voter. In objection, the PPP/C is seeking special leave to appeal that decision. The Chair of GECOM, Justice Ret’d Claudette Singh, who opted not to actively participate in the case, has indicated that she will respect the decision of the CCJ.