THE PRESIDENT, NOT THE JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION, HAS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF THE CHANCELLOR AND CHIEF JUSTICE

Article 127(1) of the Constitution provides as follows: “The Chancellor and Chief Justice shall each be appointed by the President, acting after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition.” Article 128(1) underlines the power of appointment given to the President. It provides: “The Judges, other than the Chancellor and Chief Justice, shall be […]

INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE IS DEAD

It is now over twenty years that inclusive governance, referred to previously by other slogans such as ‘participatory democracy,’ was enshrined in the Guyana constitution. The principle was set out in article 13 which was enacted as part of widespread constitutional changes in 2001 following the Report of the Constitution Reform Commission (“the Commission”) of […]

AMERICA SPEAKS

In his tweet after the meeting with the President Irfan Ali and his team, the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken said: “Guyana remains a key partner as we work to bolster food and energy security, promote shared prosperity and inclusive growth, strengthen transparency, and safeguard the environment.” The White House readout of Vice President […]

SHARED GOVERNANCE HAS NO POLITICAL SUPPORT

In the case of the Attorney-General v Richardson, the then Attorney General, Basil Williams, challenged in the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) the ruling of the Guyana Court of Appeal striking down as unconstitutional the provision of the Constitution that limited a President to two terms. During the hearing, it was revealed that the constitutional […]

THE US AND GUYANA

The visit of US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Barbara Feinstein, to Guyana, and her wide-ranging discussions, mark an important step in the evolving relations between the US and Guyana. In the past, Guyana was not on the itinerary of high-ranking US officials. Prior to the visit of Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State in 2020, […]