By: Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News |
The leadership of Region 10’s Regional Democratic Council (RDC) remains in limbo, as the newly elected council has yet to assume office due to an ongoing stalemate following the October 10 local elections.
A Tie That Stopped Progress
During the RDC’s inaugural meeting earlier this month, the 18 sworn-in councillors cast their ballots for Chairman. The result ended in a 9–9 tie between Mark Goring, nominee for the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, and Dominique Blair, the candidate representing A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
Since that vote, there has been no movement to resolve the impasse. Goring claims that the Regional Executive Officer (REO) halted the voting process instead of proceeding with the second and third rounds as required by law.
“While WIN won the election with the popular vote, the councillors—according to the law—are the ones who elect the Chairman and Vice-Chairman to speak on their behalf,”
— Mark Goring, WIN Councillor
Allegations of Undemocratic Conduct
According to Goring, the suspension of the vote contradicts the statutory process outlined in Section 20(6)(a)-(h) of the Local Democratic Organs Act, which mandates consecutive voting rounds until a winner is declared.
“This government is not inclined to follow democratic norms. They speak about it, but they don’t practice it,”
— Mark Goring
Goring and his team have since served legal documents to the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, who was reportedly expected to convene a follow-up vote on October 22. That meeting, however, did not occur.
Legal Questions Raised
Legal observers note that the Regional Executive Officer’s decision to halt voting and defer to ministerial oversight may be unlawful, as no statutory provision allows a minister to cast or influence a deciding vote in regional council elections.
“No politician should have that power to decide who is the chairman for a region, after the people would have voted and by their vote, indicated their choice,”
— Regional Representative
Region 10 Still Without Leadership
Region 10 (Upper Demerara–Upper Berbice) remains the only one of Guyana’s 10 administrative regions without a functioning RDC leadership structure.
The stalemate continues to stall local governance, with community development projects and administrative decisions now at risk of delay.
As of Thursday, there has been no official word from the Ministry of Local Government regarding the next steps.
Summary
- The Region 10 RDC election ended in a 9–9 tie between Mark Goring (WIN) and Dominique Blair (APNU).
- Goring alleges that the REO unlawfully halted the voting process.
- Legal action has been threatened, and the region remains without a Chair or functioning leadership.
