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Region 10 RDC
(Kaieteur News) – It has now been close to two weeks since the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region 10 election was stalled and yet the region’s Regional Executive Officer and clerk of the council, Mr. Dwight John Officer continues to drag his feet in reconvening the meeting to complete the lawful election of a Chairman and Vice Chairman. The delay is nothing short of an insult to good governance in our country.
The facts are clear. On 10 October 2025, the newly-sworn councillors of the Region 10 (Upper Demerara–Upper Berbice) council cast their ballots for chairman; the result ended in a 9-9 tie between the nominee of the We Invest in Nationhood Party (WIN), Mark Goring, and the candidate of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Dominique Blair.
Instead of proceeding with the mandatory second-round (and if needed third-round) voting process laid out in the Local Democratic Organs Act (Cap. 28:09), the REO inexplicably adjourned the process and referred the matter to the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand.
Legal experts have been scathing in their assessment. The Act clearly provides in Section 20(6)(a)-(h) that when a tie arises, the Clerk must immediately declare the tied councillors as candidates for a second round, then proceed accordingly and if still tied, a third round. There is no statutory space for deferring decision-making to a minister’s “casting vote” or “deliberation”. The move by John is therefore not merely unusual, it may well be unlawful.
WIN, as anticipated, is now pursuing legal action. On 12th October, the party first issued a 48-hour letter of ultimatum to the REO demanding the reconvening of the election process, failing which they would proceed to court and on 21 October, the party formally announced its intent to move to court, accusing the REO of violating statute, acting arbitrarily and unreasonably, and denying the democratic will of the people of Region 10.
Meanwhile, in the national discourse, the second Vice-President and General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo, has declared that his party has no interest in controlling the Chairmanship of Region 10. That is a welcome public disavowal of interference, yet if the PPP/C means it, then it must ensure that the REO stops obstructing the process and allows democracy to prevail. All told, the stalemate in Region 10 is no minor procedural quirk, it is a glaring governance failure. Region 10 is the only administrative region in Guyana presently without an elected Chairman and Vice Chairman. The consequences of such a leadership vacuum are serious: routine regional decisions cannot be properly made; the region’s agenda stalls; citizens’ interests go unrepresented. In a growing region like Upper Demerara–Upper Berbice, where communities await infrastructure, services and development, leadership matters.
Additionally, Region 10 has some 38,460 registered electors as of September 1, 2025 with 21,195 having voted in the last regional election for that region. This is not a remote backwater; we are talking about thousands of citizens whose representation and governance have been put on hold while political manoeuvring plays out.
What does this say about our democracy when procedure is ignored? When the law is bypassed in favour of convenience? When the elected members of a council, these people who swore oaths are left in limbo? It undermines trust. It opens the door for complacency, for delay, for disregard of the regional electorate. For every day the process is delayed, the people of Region 10 pay the price. They deserve functioning leadership, not political chess games. If the REO has an ounce of respect for his duty, he will act now. If the minister has no intention to interfere improperly, she will instruct the REO to reconvene the meeting. And if the WIN party is prepared to defend democracy, it will press on without delay. Reconvene the RDC now; conduct the second round of voting; if needed the third round; and elect the Chairman and Vice Chairman of Region 10. The law is clear, the time is now. The people of Region 10 should not have to wait any longer. Enough of the political games.
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