MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Guyana president announces May 11 as date for general elections

Ramotar said he prorogued Parliament in an attempt to avoid further political conflict and seek avenues of accommodation with opposition parties

Guyana President Donald Ramotar announced this week that May 11 is the date for general and regional elections in the country, less than five years after his ruling People's Progressive Party (PPP) won the polls in November 2011.

 In a brief radio and television address to the nation, Ramotar, who had been under severe domestic and international pressure to name a date for the polls after proroguing Parliament last November, said that he had been given the assurance by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) that it is prepared for the polls.

“As usual, I intent to invite international observers to be part of the elections process and I will expect the political parties, the security services and the people of Guyana to conduct themselves in a manner that would ensure continued peace and stability before, during and after the elections.

“We have a collective obligation to ensure the protection of the democratic gains we have made and for which we have endured so much as a nation to secure,” he said in the broadcast.

Ramotar said when he had prorogued the Parliament last November, he was attempting to avoid further political conflict and seek avenues of political accommodation between his administration and the parliamentary opposition parties.

“I had hoped that the period of prorogation would have allowed for extant tensions to ease and for all of the parliamentary parties to constructively engage the government. At all times I have acted in accordance with the Constitution of Guyana.

But the opposition had claimed that Ramotar had decided on that course of action to prevent a motion of no confidence being tabled and debated in the Parliament.

The motion, which had been submitted by the minority Alliance for Change (AFC) had the backing of the main opposition grouping, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). The two opposition groups control a one seat majority in the 65-member Parliament.

Ramotar said the opportunities that prorogation provided for continued dialogue and engagements with the parliamentary opposition parties had not materialized.

“The parliamentary opposition adopted an inflexible position that they will not engage with me until parliament is reconvened. I had hoped that they would have reconsidered this unproductive posture and meet with me so that we can discuss our differences and find solutions to advance the development of Guyana.”

He said that during the period when the Parliament was dissolved his administration “paid strict adherence to the Constitution in administering the welfare of our nation.

“Further there were regular interactions with national and international stakeholders to keep them abreast with developments and my efforts to reach some level of political consensus.”

He said meeting were also held with GECOM “to emphasize the need for their readiness for holding free, fair, transparent and efficient elections,” said Ramotar, who is expected to be his party’s presidential candidate in the elections.