Latest update January 30th, 2026 12:35 AM
Opposition leader wants APNU nominees vacate GECOM seats
– to formally write commissioners
(Kaieteur News) – The newly elected Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed has announced plans to formally request that the APNU-appointed commissioners on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) vacate their seats.
The move comes days after Mohamed’s election as Leader of the Opposition, a position previously held by the People’s National Congress-led APNU, whose nominees currently occupy the three opposition seats on GECOM. With WIN now the main opposition, new commissioners from the party are expected to take their place.
On Thursday, Mohamed told Kaieteur News that he and his team met with Chairperson of GECOM, retired Justice Claudette Singh and Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud to discuss the appointment of scrutineers and the status of the Commissioners following his election as the new Leader of the Opposition, which reflects a changed dynamic in Parliament.
APNU commissioners Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman.
Based on the discussion which he described as “productive,” the WIN party leader told this newspaper that the party will be writing to the three APNU commissioners Vincent Alexander, Desmond Trotman and Charles Corbin, who currently sit on the Commission to ask them to resign.
He told this newspaper that his team plans to follow due process which entails utilising all possibilities to ensuring the party’s interests are represented at the level of GECOM. “I cannot disclose at this moment for obvious reasons but [the course of action] will depend on the response we receive when we write the commissioners,” Mohamed said.
WIN Member of Parliament Duarte Hetsberger who also attended the meeting expounded “The advice of chair is that she cannot remove anyone from the commission… she said that is outside of her remit. She however believes based on the constitution that the only right thing to do is to have new commissioners in place given that there is new opposition.”
Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed
Kaieteur News understands that WIN will not only write to the Opposition commissioners but to Chief Scrutineer of APNU Carol Joseph Smith to inform of the move to occupy the posts. As the main opposition, WIN is set to appoint 69 scrutineers. “We will engage the commissioners et al to give them a chance to resign and if that doesn’t happen we will seek recourse the through the courts,” Hetsberger said.
Following the September 1, general and regional elections, Justice Singh in anticipation of new leader of the Opposition and the likely changes at the level of the commission suspended the business of GECOM. The Chair alluded to provisions found in Article 161(3) (B) of the Constitution. “We have had new elections and remember there is a new opposition. It’s not APNU anymore in power, there is another opposition in place; WIN which has the majority of 16 seats,” she told Kaieteur News late last year. “When Parliament convenes then the Opposition Leader will have a chance to choose who his commissioners are…”
Article 161 (3) (B) of the Constitution in relation to GECOM states: the “Three members are to be appointed by the President in accordance with the advice of the opposition leader tendered after meaningful consultation with non-governmental political parties represented in the National Assembly.” However, the article does not give direction on when and under what circumstances the seats should be vacated. APNU Commissioner Vincent Alexander had suggested that appointments have a type of security of tenure that there is no term limit to the appointments.
GECOM Chair retired Justice Claudette Singh
Alexander is of the view that only a change in the laws can rectify the situation at GECOM. He posited that constitutional provision on the appointment of commissioners cannot be read in isolation. “It has to read with articles 226 and 225 which indicate that there is no term limit for commissioners…” Alexander argued.
He noted in order for changes to take place in the appointment, the laws will have to be amended. “I have no problem with this. I was saying they will have to amend the law. The law as it is presently read does not provide for us to step down that’s how I presently see it. I have said in the past, I think the way how our commission is constituted is not good…I agree that there should be a change but not to just remove commissioners but it should provide for commissioners that are more unbiased,” Alexander contended.
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