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Walton proposes three-way opposition deal on GECOM seats
…warns against ‘whittling away’ of parliamentary power
(Kaieteur News) – Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) leader Amanza Walton has proposed a structural compromise to distribute the opposition’s three seats on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) among competing factions, warning that ongoing internal conflicts risk “demoralising” supporters and landing the opposition in court.
FGM leader, Amanza Walton, MP
Speaking during a recent airing of Dr. David Hinds’ Politics 101 programme, Walton addressed both the internal friction within the opposition and her recent exclusion from a key legislative committee, reframing both issues as urgent triggers for constitutional and electoral reform.
Proposed GECOM compromise
Amid ongoing debates regarding the selection of opposition commissioners to GECOM, Walton urged leaders to move away from a “winner-take-all” approach and recognise the shifted political landscape, noting that the new opposition leader now commands the votes of over 110,000 citizens.
To avert a legal showdown between opposition parties over the interpretation of constitutional seat allocations, Walton proposed an equal three-way split of the available commission seats.
“What is within our power is how the opposition utilises this moment for renewal,” Walton stated. “APNU gets one, you retain one of the commissioners that were put there by APNU because they have significant institutional memory. WIN gets one. Forward Guyana gets one. And we move on with the business of the people.”
Walton argued that because the opposition is legally capped at three seats regardless of internal seat distribution in the National Assembly, a compromise represents the most pragmatic path to securing comprehensive electoral reform.
Walton argued that because the opposition is legally capped at three seats regardless of internal seat distribution in the National Assembly, a compromise represents the most pragmatic path to securing comprehensive electoral reform.
Appearing on the June 23rd broadcast of Politics 101 with Dr. David Hinds, veteran GECOM opposition nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander rejected claims that a change in the leadership of the parliamentary opposition grants an automatic right to recall and replace sitting commissioners.
Alexander argued that the country’s supreme law intentionally insulates commissioners from political whims to preserve the integrity of the electoral process. Despite defending the legal permanency of his current tenure, Alexander acknowledged that the practical functioning of GECOM has frequently been marred by partisan gridlock. He criticised the current system’s vulnerability to “parochial party politics,” which often reduces independent constitutional actors to political arbiters. To break this cycle, Alexander is advocating for a sweeping structural overhaul of Guyana’s electoral management body, pointing toward regional frameworks as a viable path forward.
Committee exclusion and oversight rollbacks
Addressing her recent exclusion from a parliamentary committee, Walton rejected the notion that the development was a personal or localised political slight. Instead, she characterised it as a systemic failure to respect democratic mandates. “This is not about Amanza being left off of a committee,” Walton said. “It is for me an indication of the system failing to contemplate that a duly elected representative of the people should be able to sit on a committee.”
She strongly criticised public reactions celebrating the exclusion of certain lawmakers, asserting that voters fail to realise they are cheering the diminution of their own constitutional sovereignty. According to Walton, parliamentary restriction is directly proportional to citizen restriction.
Further compounding concerns over state accountability, Walton highlighted recent administrative changes to parliamentary oversight bodies, specifically noting that the Economic Services Committee will now meet quarterly rather than monthly.
“Because we confuse parliament with personalities, we are missing the point that we keep losing our power,” Walton warned, adding that the reduction in meeting frequency indicates a government that is “afraid of scrutiny.” Walton confirmed that FGM remains committed to pursuing its ongoing ballot access case currently before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which was filed last year after the group was excluded from the election ballot. Despite facing significant legal costs, she emphasised that the legal battle remains crucial to breaking the cyclical nature of traditional two-party politics in Guyana.
While all parties, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), and the government, successfully placed members on the various committees, a point of contention arose regarding Amanza Walton, leader of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM).
Both WIN and APNU attempted to nominate Walton to some of the committees, but the Chairperson of the Committee of Selection, Manzoor Nadir refused the nomination. Nadir explained that based on the official formula used to calculate eligibility, Walton did not receive the necessary number of votes to qualify for nomination to any of the bodies.
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This should be a two-way split with the Commissioners.
WIN party gets 2 members,
APNU, one new member. Their ” 3 Amigos” have to go, make way for a new
person.
This concludes my thoughts.
Otherwise, WIN as opposition leader, gets the WHOLE PIE.
Where did I post this as duplicate ?