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FM
Former Member

Legal moves to block future “minority” presidents

July 30, 2014 | By | Filed Under News 
 

…allow coalitions after elections

 

By Leonard Gildarie

 

Attorney-at-law Saphier Husain-Subedar is moving to effect legal changes that will pave the way for political parties to form coalitions and do away with the possibilities of a minority presidency.
The lawyer has since written President Donald Ramotar, Leader of the Opposition, David Granger, and AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, signaling his intentions of moving ahead with the necessary changes. It has not been the first time concerns have been expressed over the current “winner-takes-all” system.

President Donald Ramotar

President Donald Ramotar

The 10th Parliament is a classic example. Following the 2011 General and Regional Elections, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) did not manage to garner the 50 per cent votes required, but the law allowed that party to form the Presidency, leaving the Opposition in control of the National Assembly by one seat.
With several law changes and other legislation in limbo, the National Assembly has remained in a virtual stalemate on many of the issues.
In his letter about the law changes, titled “Road Map of Guyana 2014”, Husain-Subedar said that he has observed that the first and greatest problem facing the Guyanese electorate is in Article 177 of the Constitution of the Republic of Guyana.
“By this article, Guyana is likely to have a repetition of a Minority President, which in the current Parliament has proved unworkable and not in the interest of Guyana.”
The lawyer, known for his constitutional cases, including the recent one in which he successfully challenged the validity of the six-month birth certificate requirement for new passports, explained that currently the Constitution does not allow for any coalition of parties after the votes have been cast.
This in effect allows the party, with the largest bloc of votes, although falling below the required 50% of the total votes, being able to form the Presidency.
“I say that Guyana should never have a repetition of a Minority President.”
Anticipating that current threats of a no-confidence vote against the Presidency by the Alliance For Change is likely to trigger snap elections if that Opposition party gets support from the larger APNU coalition, the lawyer is asking that the changes be made as early as possible.
“I am asking that before a no-confidence motion be effected or a dissolution of Parliament for fresh elections, (that)… the Constitution be amended to remove the possibility of a Minority President again…”

 Attorney-at-law Saphier Husain-Subedar

Attorney-at-law Saphier Husain-Subedar

He wants the Constitution to now change to say, “Where there is no Presidential candidate with a majority in excess of 50%, any two or more Presidential candidates may combine their votes together in coalition to decide which candidate to be declared the President.”
Specifically, the lawyer wanted the amendments to say that no “Presidential candidate shall be declared a President unless he commands a 51% or more of the seats in Parliament as leader of a single Party or coalition of parties after the elections.”
If after the elections, two parties decide to collaborate, they will have to write the Chairman of the Elections Commission and submit a notarized document signed by the relevant Presidential Candidates.
The lawyer pointed out that amendment of the current Constitution requires only a two- third majority of the votes in Parliament.
“This is your opportunity to make your idle “boast” of acting in the best interest of Guyana as not hypocrisy but reality to make this “Road Map of Guyana 2014” a new beginning for this perpetually troubled country.”
The lawyer also expressed concern with the fact that Guyana has not held any Local Government Elections in almost two decades.
“I hereby request that all the machineries be effected including amendment of legislation so that Local Government Elections and General and Regional Elections be held simultaneously. This will cure a decade of problems and also would prove very economical.”
Copies of the letter to the President and other Parliamentary leaders were also sent to foreign embassies in Guyana, Carter Center – Atlanta; Guyana Bar Association; President of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Chairman of GECOM.
Husain-Subedar has also written the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) announcing his plans for the National Independent Party, which he leads, to contest the upcoming Local Government Elections and any future General and Regional Elections for the Presidency.

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Attorney-at-law Saphier Husain-Subedar:

 

The man who has made Korhee, a laughing stock of the world with his carzy birth certificate issues

 

The entire PPP/C is now just like Korhee

FM

The constitution does not say there cannot be collations after an election

August 1, 2014 | By | Filed Under Letters
 

Dear Editor,

In an article in today’s newspaper Mr. Saphier Hussein declared that he is going to make “legal moves to block future ‘minority’ presidents”. To achieve this, Mr. Hussein proposes to make legal changes,[to the constitution an almost impossible task] that will pave the way for political parties to form collations and do away with the possibilities of a minority presidency.” Actually Mr. Hussein is on the right track but he is walking in backward along it, since the constitution does not say that there cannot be collations after an election. Nowhere in article 177 does it say that this can’t happen, nowhere in article 177 does it say that a declaration of the candidate from any list whose party got the most votes in an election and who was declared by GECOM as the President, has the right to form the government. He must therefore, form a collation with one of the smaller parties so that he can have control of parliament and discharge the conditions of Article 9, which says sovereignty belongs to the people, sovereignty cannot belong to them when there is a minority government making decisions for the majority, as if they do not exist. Mr. Editor, below is article 177 of the Guyana constitution which tells us how GECOM will declare the president after an election, and I dare anyone to tell me where it says that under the circumstance when the party’s leader with the most votes, but not more than 51% of the popular vote is entitled to form the government legally. It does not!  Therefore, the grounds for appeal are already there. And it is this: “Can a president who does not control the majority of the popular vote, hold the right, legally, to form a government to rule all of the people?’ The answer is simply no. THE PRESIDENT 177. (1) Any list of candidates for an election held pursuant to the provisions of article 60 (2) shall designate not more than one of those candidates as a Presidential candidate. An elector voting as such an election in favour of a list shall be deemed to be also voting in favour of the Presidential candidate named in the list. (2) A Presidential candidate shall be deemed to have been elected as President and shall be so declared by the Chairman of the Elections Commission–– (a) if he is the only Presidential candidate at the election; or (b) where there are two or more Presidential candidates, if more votes are case in favour of the list in which he is designated as Presidential candidate than in favour of any other list. (3) Where no person is elected as President under paragraph (2) and where the votes cast in favour of each list are equal in number, or where the votes cast in favour of each of two or more lists are equal in number by greater that the number of votes cast in favour of any other list, the Chairman of the Elections Commission, acting in the presence of the Chancellor and of the public, shall by lot choose one of the lists in respect of which the votes are equal in either of the circumstances aforesaid and shall declare the Presidential candidate designated in that list to be duly elected as President. (4) The Court of Appeal shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine any question as to the validity of an election not a President in so far as that question depends upon the qualification of any person for election or the interpretation of this Constitution; and decision of that Court under this paragraph shall be final. (5) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may make provision for giving effect to the provisions of this Title and, without prejudice to the generality thereof, may make provision–– (a) for the conduct of elections to the office of President; and (b) with respect to the persons by whom, the manner in which and the conditions upon which proceedings for the determination of any question such as is mentioned in the preceding paragraph may be instituted in the Court of Appeal, and, subject to any provisions made under subparagraph (b), provision may be made with respect to the matters referred to therein by rules of court. (6) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (4), an instrument which–– (a) is executed under the hand of the Chairman of the Elections Commission and (b) states that a person named in the instrument was declared elected as President at an election held pursuant to the provisions of article 60 (2),shall be conclusive evidence that the person so named was so elected and no question as to the validity of the election as the President of the person so named shall be inquired into in any court. Again Mr. Editor simply being declared President is not enough to form a government, under these rules, he must have [as in all other countries where the common rules of constitutional law is established] seek control of parliament through collations with other parties to obtain the majority of the votes in parliament. Again I must point out that this constitution does not say that collations by the president who has been declared by GECOM, is not allowed to form a collation with one of the smaller parties to establish sovereignty of the people. Mr. Hussein is right; this situation is one which is guaranteed to cause gridlock. But in forming a minority government, in ignorance of the law, an act of treason would have been committed against the people of Guyana. Tony Vieira

FM
He wants the Constitution to now change to say, “Where there is no Presidential candidate with a majority in excess of 50%, any two or more Presidential candidates may combine their votes together in coalition to decide which candidate to be declared the President.”


Specifically, the lawyer wanted the amendments to say that no “Presidential candidate shall be declared a President unless he commands a 51% or more of the seats in Parliament as leader of a single Party or coalition of parties after the elections.”

 

 Attorney-at-law Saphier Husain-Subedar

Attorney-at-law

Saphier Husain-Subedar

Simple matter ... it requires, at least, two-thirds of the MPs to approve this change in parliament. For practical purposes, the PPP/C has fifty percent of the MPs.

 

Since 1992, when has the PNC and AFC publicly presented any submission for discussions and approval in the legislature?

FM

PPP afraid of any coalition.  Well let us rest the case.

 

AFTER SUNDAY, there will be none and we shall have a President Rohee with 42 percent plurality.

 

END of story.

 

Ramu getting shifted out for dumbness, dotishness and stupidity.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Originally Posted by Demerara_Guy:
 

Since 1992, when has the PNC and AFC publicly presented any submission for discussions and approval in the legislature?


Has the PPP submitted this for discussion?  Basically if neither the PPP nor APNU agree it cannot go through as this is the only combination, as of now, where one can get 2/3 of the votes.

FM

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