Parliament will be dissolved at the right time- PNCR

The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), which holds the presidency and Attorney General posts in the coalition government, said the Parliament will be dissolved “at the right time.”

Speaking at the party’s weekly press conference at Congress Place, Sophia, Greater Georgetown on Friday, PNCR Central Executive Member, Aubrey Norton said: “the President can announce a date [for elections] but he cannot at this stage dissolve Parliament.”

Norton referred to Article 61 of the Constitution which states that “An election of members of the National Assembly under article 60 (2) shall be held on such day within three months after every dissolution of Parliament as the President shall appoint by Proclamation.”

In his address to the nation on Wednesday, President David Granger announced that the Government must return to the National Assembly when Parliament reconvenes on October 10 and request an extension of the life of the Government up to March 02, 2020 when elections will be held.

The Government needs the support of the Opposition to extend its life but Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo has declared that the PPP will not return to Parliament and called on the President to dissolve Parliament.

“The Government of Guyana has seen through the hidden agenda and Parliament will be dissolved at the right time,” Norton said.

“What the PPP is trying to do –specifically the caretaker Opposition Leader –is to try to lead us in the direction of dissolving the Parliament but anyone will recognise that if you dissolve Parliament … now, in three months you will have to have elections.”

He added that by virtue of naming a date for elections, the APNU+AFC Government is not afraid to go to the polls.

“We are prepared and will defeat the PPP,” Norton noted.

Additionally, the PNCR and by extension the APNU+AFC Government has repeatedly claimed that the voters’ list is bloated.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will from Tuesday begin a 35-day period of Claims and Objections.

During this period, persons will be given the opportunity to make changes to their information on the National Register of Registrants from which a new voters’ list will be derived. Persons can get registered, change their names or addresses from October 1 to November 04, 2019.

The PNCR is urging citizens to make use of the period.

“We urge all Guyanese to register during this period and to work assiduously to clean the list of the many phantoms that have been placed there during PPP misrule of Guyana,” Norton said.