YEAR IN REVIEW: SEPTEMBER – PPP takes Govt to court over added Local Authority Areas

TIMES INT'L

Following complaints that the Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan is involved in the gerrymandering of Local Authority Areas (LLA) in Opposition strongholds, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) filed a legal challenge in the High Court to halt the Minister’s move even as Bulkan maintained that everything he did was above board. Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall filed the Fixed Date Application (FDA) on behalf of People’s Progressive Party Guyana Elections Commissioner (GECOM) Commissioner, Bibi Shadick.
The Applicant filed judicial review proceedings in the High Court against decisions of named respondents, Communities Minister Bulkan and Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield. Nandlall told reporters on Monday that the PPP’s action is not geared at delaying the entire Local Government Elections set for November 12 but rather; elections in the contested Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) could be rescheduled until the outcome of the court case.
In the writ seen by Guyana Times, the Applicant is seeking a several orders which seek to bring the Communities Minister’s alterations into the conformity with Local Democratic Organs Act, Chapter 28:09. In so doing, the Applicant is petitioning the court to have Bulkan’s orders declared null and void.
The Applicant made an application for an Order or Writ of Certiorari to quash Bulkan’s order of holding elections of seven NDCs without first issuing an Order under the Local Democratic Organs Act, to identify the NDCs by name, boundaries, and number of members. These NDCs are Moruka/Phoenix Park; Kitty/Providence; Nile/Cozier; Lamaha/Yarrowkabra; Hauraruni/Yarrowkabra; Plegt Anker/Kortberaad; and Wyburg/Caracas.

Related posts