Joinder list still undecided on particulars of single parliamentary seat

Aug 05, 2020 News

From left: LJP’s Lenox Shuman, ANUG’s Ralph Ramkarran and TMN’s Dr. Asha Kissoon.

The Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and The New Movement (TNM) are still undecided on the particulars of the single parliamentary seat it won after the March 2, General and Regional Elections.

LJP’s Lennox Shuman; ANUG’s Jonathan Yearwood and TNM’s Asha Kissoon told the media last evening that executives of each party are still to make final decisions on which members will be occupying the seat, following which a statement will be issued to the public.

Nonetheless, they maintained that the party will not join forces with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) nor the A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), They also assured that whoever occupies the seat will work in the interest of the Guyanese people.

Earlier this year the three parties had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which they joined their lists to compete in the March 2 General and Regional Elections. The three parties had gained 5,124 votes, thereby awarding them one seat in the national parliament. According to Section 22 of the Representation of the People Act (RoPA), the combined votes they receive will be calculated and go towards the allocation of seats on Regional Democratic Councils and the National Assembly.

The signed MoU details the guidelines for the joinder’s actions in the National Assembly.

It stated that after the elections are held and the official results are declared, the parties will calculate the number of seats to the National Assembly earned by each party in relation to the votes obtained by each party. Any party, or parties, which have earned sufficient votes so as to be entitled to seats in the National Assembly based on the votes obtained in the elections, will nominate the Members of Parliament for the number of seats to which it is entitled in a procedure to be determined by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Where a party wins one or more regional seats but its overall votes earned by that party show that it is entitled to a top up seat, it shall be entitled to nominate a member of the National Assembly for that seat.

The document further states that where the leftover votes of each party cumulatively entitle the combination of parties to one or more additional seats, the seat or seats will be shared by the parties in proportion to the leftover votes contributed by that party toward the additional seat or seats as follows: the party with the largest number of leftover votes will be entitled to nominate the first member of the National Assembly who shall serve the length of time that is derived from the proportion of votes; the parties with the second and the third largest number of votes will be entitled to nominate the second and third members of the National Assembly in accordance with the principle set out and each member of the National Assembly who is appointed by one of the parties, pursuant to the leftover votes obtained by the three parties, will resign as a member of the National Assembly at the time determined by the combination of parties immediately before the convening of the National Assembly.

The MoU went on to explain that, in respect of the seat or seats shared among them by leftover votes, the occupant of that seat shall vote in Parliament only with the approval of all three parties and otherwise shall abstain from voting.

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