No time for referendum before 2025 elections – GECOM CEO

Nov 23, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News- No referendum can be held before the 2025 General and Regional Elections, Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud told reporters on Friday during a press conference at the Commission’s Command Centre in Kingston, Georgetown.

Persaud in response to a question posed by Kaieteur News explained that there is not adequate time available for the hosting of a referendum before the constitutionally scheduled elections.

Over the last few weeks there have been heightened calls for a referendum for the renegotiation of the 2016 oil agreement with U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil and other issues.

“Would a referendum complicate or interfere with the electoral process if held by end of 2024 or early 3035 and would it be an expensive venture?” Chairperson of GECOM Claudette Singh was asked.

Singh passed the question to Persaud who said if a referendum were to be held as a separate activity, “there is no time between now and that period within which we can hold it because obviously, the constitutionally due conduct of general elections cannot be interfered with.”

The CEO said, “Let me attempt to answer your question this way. First of all, at this time we are not aware in the slightest way, shape or form of any indication of there being the need for a referendum as something that GECOM should focus on, that’s number one.”

Further, he reminded that “obviously, the constitutionally due conduct of general elections cannot be interfered with.”

Persaud explained that while the issues being raised via referendum can be included on the elections ballots, as has happened in other jurisdictions, Guyana’s laws would have to be changed.

“…Laws would have to be changed to make provisions for all of that and I don’t see that happening in time to…if there is to be a referendum I must say in that regard,” he disclosed.

On November 19^, 2024 the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) said that a referendum on the 2016 oil contract would be crucial to any future negotiations the Government of Guyana is likely to have with U.S. oil giant, ExxonMobil.

At the party’s weekly press conference on Monday, Co-leader Dr. David Hinds told reporters that it would not hurt to have Guyanese engaged in public discussion about the 2016 oil deal.

Dr. Hinds referenced statements made by Attorney General Anil Nandlall which said that a referendum on the lopsided oil contract would be a waste of time. However, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo disagreed with Nandlall saying that the Attorney General spoke in his personal capacity and not as a government official.

Jagdeo said while there might well be issues regarding bringing ExxonMobil to the table even with a successful referendum, he would prefer to deal with the matter after next year’s general and regional elections.

A referendum is a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.

“While that contention is true, an affirmative referendum vote would be a potent bi-partisan, national tool in the hands of government as it engages Exxon. To cite Exxon’s potential inflexibility in the face of a formal national demand as a reason for rejecting the referendum is akin to throwing in the towel before the game starts,” Dr. Hinds said

Last week, Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton, said that while he is not opposed to a referendum on renegotiating the 2016 ExxonMobil Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), any amendments to the contract would still require the company’s agreement.

“If there is a referendum, it will say that is the popular will of the people, if it succeeds if it fails, it will say its unpopular but in the final analysis what governs the thing is the PSA and the PSA makes it very clear that the changes can be made but they have to be done engaging ExxonMobil,” Norton said noting that he would not oppose efforts to gauge public opinion, the binding nature of the contract must remain the guiding principle.

“That does not mean that I disagree with someone doing a poll to see if people want a referendum on it. If people want a referendum, they can have a referendum on it, I have no problem with that but in the final analysis, one will still have to be guided by the contract,” he added.

The Alliance for Change (AFC) had said that it will support a referendum on ExxonMobil’s 2016 oil contract with Guyana. The party made this disclosure during its weekly press conference. Chairman of the party David Patterson made it clear that the AFC believes that a referendum should be held prior to elections.

Patterson made it clear that oil and gas is not the lone issue that requires a referendum. He pointed to the need to make amendments to certain clauses in the Constitution and those proposed amendments should be put to a vote via a referendum.

 

“We (the AFC) would support a referendum to do all of those things including matters of oil and gas, (being) on a referendum (even) prior to the elections,” the AFC Chairman said.

(No time for referendum before 2025 elections – GECOM CEO)

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• 2025 elections, CEO, GECOM, referendum, Vishnu

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