President David Granger has committed to meeting Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo in the New Year.
Jagdeo says the dialogue is important to work out the holding of new general elections following Friday’s No Confidence motion
In the National Assembly Friday, shortly after Alliance for Change Member of Parliament Charrandas Persaud voted against his own Government and handed the PPP a 33 majority on its No Confidence motion, Jagdeo approached Minister of State Joseph Harmon to arrange a meeting with the President.
The vote means regional and general elections must be called in three months, unless the Government can get the Opposition to agree – by a Parliamentary vote – for a longer time frame.
“Our key concern there is the integrity of the elections,” Jagdeo stated at his Church Street, Georgetown office Monday.
The Opposition Leader is in favour of international oversight of the elections process.
Jagdeo said the United Nations Development Programme had conducted a “needs assessment” and had offered to put someone in place.
“All GECOM has to say is ‘send the person now’; that’s all the need to do now.
“…they should ask for help from the international community to oversee the conduct of elections,” Jagdeo stated.
Jagdeo said that in the passage of the No Confidence motion there is no room for triumphalist behaviour on the part of the PPP nor is it
He said it was a signal of the growth and maturing of Guyana’s democracy, and it could be used as an opportunity for Guyana, to abandon the old practice of parties being at each other’s throats on every matter.
