An injunction has been filed by Attorney Christopher Ram to stop the ongoing House to House registration exercise.
Ram is represented by Opposition Member and former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall and Senior Counsel Hari Narayan Ramkarran.
Attorney General Basil Williams, Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, Commissioner of National Registration, Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are listed as the defendants.
Ram, in the application, is asking the court to issue a conservatory order prohibiting GECOM “from conducting or continuing to conduct” the House to House Registration process.
He is seeking a declaration that the registration exercise is in violation of the letter and spirit of the judgment of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and the Constitution of Guyana.
He is also asking for an order “compelling” GECOM to immediately take all steps and actions necessary and requisite to told General and Regional Elections on or before September 18, 2019.
The application is made on the grounds that the applicant has a deep and abiding interest in the rule of law is upheld and the Constitution of Guyana is obeyed and complied with.
Ram referred to the No-confidence motion which was validated by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on June 18, noting that the Cabinet including the President has so far not complied with the Constitutional provisions which follow the passage of such a motion.
Ram outlined the challenges to the motion which followed its passage on December 21, 2018.
“It is willful and flagrant violation of, Articles 106 (6) and 106 (7) of the Constitution of Guyana, and, in deliberate defiance of the [CCJ] decisions and orders, the Cabinet has not resigned, the President has not issued and a proclamation dissolving Parliament and fixed a date for election not later than 18th September 2019,” the application stated.
It further stated that House to House Registration which GECOM began on July 20 and GECOM says will conclude on October 20, will run onto a later date, referring to the December 25 timeline given by GECOM’s Attorney, Stanley Marcus in Court on June 24.
Ram argued that completing the exercise in “an impossible timeframe,” will result in thousands of persons becoming deregistered and thousands of others will be omitted from the list of electors, resulting in the loss of their right to vote.
“The Applicant is advised by his Attorneys-at-law and do verily believe that the House to House registration process currently embarked upon…is in clear violation of the Constitution as interpreted by the [CCJ] and accordingly, unconstitutional, unlawful, null and of no effect,” the application stated.
The hearing is set for Tuesday morning before the Chief Justice.
