Latest update March 26th, 2026 7:55 AM
‘Constitutional make-up of GECOM’ outdated – Hinds
– wants 13th parliament to urgently activate Constitutional Reform Committee
Kaieteur News – Co-leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds said Wednesday that the current make-up of the Guyana’s Elections Commission (GECOM) as enshrined in the constitution, may have very well outlived its usefulness.
Co-Leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Dr David Hinds
Hinds, speaking at the party’s weekly press conference, made the comments on the heels of post-election controversies, one of them being, who really should sit on the opposition of the GECOM, now that a new party will become the new opposition. He said the situation warrants immediate constitutional changes.
“No constitution could adequately anticipate sharp changes in electoral behavior and their impact on institutions. In fact, the very make-up of GECOM as enshrined in the constitution may have outlived its usefulness,” he stressed.
The way the 2025 elections were conducted and the outcome of the recent elections, as well as the aftermath, raises once again the issue of constitutional reform. “It has been twenty-five years since Guyana had its last meaningful constitutional reform exercise. Since that time there have been calls for another look at the rules and laws that govern our country, especially in the areas of governance and election,” Dr Hinds said.
The politician noted that both major parties have paid lip service to the issue as neither has made a move with a sense of purpose to ensure the much-needed reform. In addition, the appointment of the constitutional reform commission in the last years of the previous term of government, in his eyes, turned out to be nothing more than an election gimmick.
He highlighted that the parliamentary standing committee has not engaged in any serious work, and noted that “a country which does not constantly review its bedrock rules and laws will ultimately end up where Guyana is at the moment, in a state of chaos and tyranny.”
“It should not be surprising that the country is viewed as an elected autocracy, a characterisation that is a far distance from that of a functioning democracy. A living constitution is one which reflects the true nature of society in a fundamental way and keeps up with the inevitable changes,” Dr Hinds said.
The reports coming out of all the international observer groups, the opposition parties and local civil society groups in the wake of the recent elections are all pointing in the direction of the urgent need for constitutional renovation.
“It is against this background that WPA calls on the relevant authorities to initiate a constitutional reform process forthwith. It cannot wait another day longer, WPA will raise its voice both inside and outside the national assembly in pursuit of this cause. In this regard, we join the call for a new constitutional reform commission with a renewed mandate and a strict timetable,” he said.
The party is also calling for the commission to be non-partisan, but reflective of all the major interest groups within society, as constitutional reform should not be treated as political football or a victim of divisive and corrosive politics.
“Finally, WPA calls on the new parliament to activate its constitutional reform standing committee. We have already instructed our parliamentary representative to make this task a priority. Identification of areas of urgent need for reform and attendant recommendations from lawmakers are essential to the process,” Hinds added.
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Amen David Hinds; I lobby for a total overhaul of the Guyana Constitution with its articles because the times have changed and the country, along with its political acolytes do not want to change. We ae quickly approaching the 22nd century in 2101, a new age of republic demands from our environment and people. The shift in the geo-political landscape demands a review and change, especially since Guyana has applied for BRICS partnership. Of course the idiots in Guyana cannot even spell ‘Geopolitics” much more elaborate on its content!! All they know is race and ethnicity–if someone different gets into power, we will be doomed. Guess what? Change is coming the next five years and all of you will suffer the consequences of your actions. But before this change arrives, you will be dominated by recession, stagflation and inflation.
Moreover, parts of the constitution have deliberately permitted the present government to manipulate wording and intent to get their way around the rules.