Election petition case opens next Thursday

– APNU+AFC looks forward to early hearing

Chief Justice (Ag) Madam Roxane George-Wiltshire has invited attorneys representing the APNU+AFC in its petition of the 2020 General and Regional Elections to a case management conference for the petitions on October 22, 2020.

The session will be conducted virtually before the Chief Justice and will outline the logistical plan for the case and, likely, a schedule for the hearings. Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon told the public on Tuesday that he is optimistic that the petitions will succeed.

“This afternoon, one of the lawyers for the petitioners received a response from the Chief Justice indicating that there is going to be a Case Management conference of this matter on Tuesday, October 22, 2020…this is the place at which they set timelines for things to happen, deadlines and when actual trials and so on will start. This is what we anticipate,” he said, adding:

“So, the ball is rolling. These attempts by the PPP regime to use the police to try to harass and intimidate our leadership, it’s not going to work. The petition train is out of the station and it is rolling.”

The Coalition’s first election petition was filed at the High Court on August 31, 2020. It relied strictly on Guyana’s Constitution, the Representation of the People Act (ROPA), the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act, and the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act.

The Party then notified the public that it would file a second election petition which is primarily “evidence-based” to support its previous petition. In statement subsequent to Harmon’s on Tuesday, the APNU+AFC said that it looks forward to the early hearing of the election petitions.

“The APNU+AFC is deeply concerned by what appeared to be some sloth in the hearing of the Elections Petitions and is pleased that the date for the case management has been set and thanks its attorneys for their unrelenting activism in ensuring that the case management has been scheduled on the named date. The Coalition looks forward to the early hearing of the Elections Petitions which we are confident will expose the massive fraud perpetrated on the people of Guyana by the illegitimate PPP regime,” the party said.

When the time comes for the matters to be settled in the Court, the Opposition Leader previously told the Village Voice that all eyes will rest on the judiciary and justice must prevail. He cautioned that Guyanese will not accept a ruling that is contrary to law and the Coalition is confident that, if the Court abides by the law, the petitions will be successful.