My Fellow Guyanese,
As you will recall, I prorogued Parliament on November 10, 2014. In doing so, I indicated that I was opting to preserve rather than end the life of the 10th Parliament. I was also attempting to avoid further political conflict and seek avenues of political accommodation between my government and the parliamentary opposition parties.
President Ramotar. Photo courtesy caricom.org
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.
I also did it to enfranchise those persons, who, through no fault of their own, could not get on the Voters Roll at the last election because of lack of source documents, mainly residents living in the hinterland.
Unfortunately, the opportunities that prorogation provided for continued dialogue and engagements with the parliamentary opposition parties have not materialized. The parliamentary opposition adopted an inflexible position that they would not engage with me until parliament was reconvened. I had hoped that they would have reconsidered this unproductive posture and meet with me so that we could discuss our differences and find solutions to advance the development of Guyana.
During this current period, my government 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.
Meetings were also held with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to emphasize the need for their readiness for holding free, fair, transparent and efficient elections. This was consistent with my intention to call general elections should there be failure to find accommodation with the parliamentary opposition parties. You will recall that in December 2014, I had alerted international observers to the possibility of elections in 2015. Also, at a Press Conference, I assured the nation that I was going to announce a date for General and Regional Elections early in the New Year as not to disrupt the holiday season. My commitment to preserving and strengthening our democracy is unquestionable.
I made it clear then that I remained open to dialogue with the opposition parties. It is a door that I did not nor do not intend to shut, now or ever. In light of the opposition’s sustained refusal to engage my Government in the dialogue we anticipated and in light of the commitment I made to you, the people of Guyana, I now move towards general elections.
In the circumstances, I hereby announce that General and Regional Elections shall be held on Monday, 11th May, 2015.
I am advised that GECOM would be in a state of readiness for these polls on that date.
As usual, I intend 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.
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