APNU Calls On Gecom Chair To Explain Suspension Of Commission Meetings

By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News|

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has issued a sharp challenge to the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh, demanding that she publicly state the legal authority under which she has suspended statutory meetings of the Commission for more than a year.

The opposition coalition’s demand follows GECOM’s recent formal acknowledgment that the ongoing dispute over opposition-nominated seats on the Commission must ultimately be resolved through legislative or constitutional reform.

APNU contends that GECOM’s own admission confirms a critical legal reality: until the law is amended, the sitting commissioners remain lawfully constituted in office with full authority to meet and conduct the nation’s electoral business.

The Constitutional Paradox: Lawfully Constituted Yet Sidelined

In a strongly worded critique, APNU argued that Chairperson Singh’s prolonged refusal to convene sittings of the seven-member Commission—which has not met since September 2025—cannot be justified by statutory ambiguity:

• Sitting Commissioners Retain Full Mandate: APNU maintained that if legislative intervention is required to alter the composition of the Commission, then under existing law, the current commissioners retain the unequivocal legal right and duty to continue serving.
• No Legal Basis for Suspension: According to the opposition bloc, GECOM’s own position confirms that the Commission has been lawfully constituted and fully capable of executing its constitutional mandate all along. This raises a fundamental question for Justice Singh: if the commissioners remain lawfully in office, what statutory authority empowered her to suspend meetings?
• Accusation of Political Motives: APNU declared that no such legal basis exists, characterizing the year-long freeze on Commission sittings as “a political decision, not a legal one.” The coalition stressed that GECOM exists as a collective decision-making body and that no Chairperson has the unilateral authority to sideline that deliberative process.

Biometrics and Electoral Reforms Stalled Ahead of 2030

Beyond the procedural deadlock, APNU warned that the suspension of statutory meetings is actively undermining preparations for future electoral cycles:

• Delaying Biometric Verification: The coalition highlighted that while the Commission remains frozen, critical policy decisions cannot advance—specifically pointing to the long-delayed introduction of biometric voter verification to safeguard the integrity of the Official List of Electors ahead of the 2030 General and Regional Elections.
• Undermining Public Confidence: APNU emphasized that Guyanese citizens deserve transparency regarding why the body tasked with safeguarding democracy has been prevented from deliberating on key reforms and preparations for Local Government Elections.

Three Demands to Restore Lawful Governance at GECOM

To break the impasse and restore institutional credibility, APNU has called on Chairperson Claudette Singh to immediately take three concrete steps:

1. Disclose Legal Authority: Publicly explain the exact legal basis, if any, relied upon to suspend statutory meetings of the Commission.
2. Reconvene Without Delay: Immediately resume regular statutory sittings of the full Commission.
3. Prioritize Electoral Reform: Place comprehensive electoral reform—including the implementation of biometric verification—back on the active agenda well ahead of the 2030 electoral cycle.

Concluding its statement, APNU reiterated that free and fair elections depend directly on an elections commission that operates openly, transparently, and strictly within the bounds of the law.