-joint statement to be issued
Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and APNU Leader Aubrey Norton yesterday held what they described as cordial discussions but emerged from the meeting without agreement on the immediate way forward on the Local Government Commission (LGC) and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
The meeting, held at Brandsville Suites, was convened against the backdrop of growing differences between the two opposition groupings over representation on the LGC and the composition of the opposition-nominated side of GECOM.
Speaking separately to reporters afterwards, Mohamed and Norton said the two sides had agreed to issue a joint statement outlining the areas on which agreement had been reached.
However, up to press time, no joint statement had been issued. Kiskadee Watch was told that the general secretaries of the two parties had not reached agreement on its contents.
Mohamed said at the outset that there had been no discussion on either the LGC or GECOM.
“We had cordial discussions,” he said, adding that the parties had agreed to issue the joint statement.
Pressed on why the two issues were not addressed despite being among the principal matters which brought the parties to the table, Mohamed said both sides would first have to consult their respective members and parliamentarians before deciding on the way forward.
WIN General Secretary Odessa Primus said the discussions included proposed terms of reference and the possibility of establishing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to guide future engagement.
She said the joint statement would contain the information agreed upon by both sides and that it would not be fair to comment further publicly since they had decided to communicate jointly with the press.
Norton also said the engagement was cordial and that the parties had agreed in principle to issue a joint statement.
He said they did not enter into the substantive issues because they first wanted to establish a framework for moving forward.
“If you are going to form a framework, what is guiding you?” Norton asked in response to questions about the need for such an arrangement. “If you are in serious negotiations, you need to have principles, a framework to guide you.”
He said an MOU could eventually emerge from the process.
“We will end up with an MOU at some point,” Norton said, while noting that basic principles would first have to be established, after which the parties would consult internally before proceeding.
The meeting followed a public disagreement between Mohamed and Norton over the opposition’s nominations to the LGC.
APNU objected after Mohamed submitted three opposition nominees for the commission without selecting either of the two persons it had proposed. Norton argued that APNU’s 12 seats in the National Assembly and its representation at the local government level entitled it to at least one of the three opposition positions.
Mohamed and Norton had exchanged letters before yesterday’s meeting, with Norton agreeing to talks but insisting that they be held at a neutral venue rather than WIN’s headquarters.
The disagreement comes amid a separate impasse over the opposition-nominated commissioners on GECOM.
Mohamed has argued that the current commissioners were nominated under a previous opposition leadership and should make way for nominees selected by the present Leader of the Opposition.
Norton has maintained that there are no vacancies and has defended the continued service of commissioners Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman.
He has also said that neither he nor any other political leader has the authority to remove them. According to Norton, commissioners can leave office through resignation or death or following constitutional and legislative changes to alter GECOM’s status as a permanent commission.
The dispute has also extended to opposition scrutineers. None of the 69 paid opposition scrutineers represents WIN or the Forward Guyana Movement, the two parties which entered Parliament following the 2025 General and Regional Elections.
The question of GECOM is particularly timely as the commission has to prepare for local government elections.
The WIN delegation comprised Mohamed, Primus, Opposition Chief Whip Tabitha Sarabo-Halley and MPs Natasha Singh, Vishnu Panday and Duarte Hetsberger.
APNU was represented by Norton and MPs Ganesh Mahipaul, Dexter Todd, Coretta McDonald and David Hinds, along with PNCR General Secretary Sherwin Benjamin, attorney Ronald Daniels and APNU regional councillor Shaneika Haynes.
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