Latest update September 17th, 2026 10:25 AM
Mohamed to challenge GECOM composition following rejection from Norton
(Kaieteur News) – Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed has announced plans to formally engage President Irfaan Ali and Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh to overhaul the opposition’s block of commissioners.
Speaking exclusively with Kaieteur News, Mohamed stated that the opposition-nominated GECOM commissioners must change to reflect the country’s current political landscape. He contended that for years, widespread concerns have mounted that the sitting opposition commissioners exclusively represent the interests of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) rather than the collective opposition parties.
Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed
The declaration follows rejection from APNU Chairman and former Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton regarding Mohamed’s constitutional authority to replace active commissioners.
“I will send a letter to President Irfaan Ali and the GECOM Chair,” Mohamed said.
The row began on June 10, 2026, when Mohamed dispatched a directive regarding the proposed appointment of three new GECOM commissioners under Article 161(3)(b) of the Constitution.
Norton’s formal response, delivered the same day, labeled the opposition leader’s legal premise as “fundamentally flawed both in fact and in law”. Norton asserted that no vacancies exist on the commission and that the constitution does not permit the automatic termination of a commissioner’s tenure based on changes to parliamentary leadership.
In the second part of his response, Norton warned that executing Mohamed’s demand would establish a “dangerous precedent” capable of compromising GECOM’s institutional independence by exposing constitutional office-holders to the volatility of parliamentary leadership struggles. He maintained that the constitutional reforms of 2000 were explicitly designed to insulate GECOM from such political interference.
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