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(CMC) – Guyana was preparing for a general election early next year after a government back-bencher supported an opposition motion of no confidence against the David Granger government late on Friday night.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who had been heckled, as he outlined his reasons for the motion in Parliament, has already signalled his intention to work with the coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) government leading up to the polls that could be held as early as March.

Government back-bencher Charrandass Persaud voted with the opposition Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) legislators to win the no-confidence motion in the 65-seat National Assembly after several hours of debate.

The APNU had won the 2015 general election by a slender one-seat majority and despite repeated urges by fellow parliamentarians to change his vote, Persaud declined.

When the debate started, Jagdeo, a former president, described the coalition government as “incompetent and corrupt”.

Jagdeo said the government has been a total failure and has not been keeping its promises to the Guyanese people who voted them into office.

“The people out there, they demand that we pursue this and I know there are 33 members who have been growing fat on the perks of office and wish that this motion disappears,” he said, adding that the coalition government had mismanaged the resources of Guyana and that is the main reason behind his decision to file the motion against the government.

Jagdeo said the government has failed on its manifesto promises and is harming democracy. He said the Granger-led administration is totally untrustworthy and that it has failed to bring any major investor to Guyana and has only been talking “about oil, oil, oil”.

“We have made the case that this government is totally useless to the people of Guyana. The longer they stay there, the more damaging it will be to our future,” he said.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who led the government’s response to Jagdeo, defended its record, adding “when you speak of harming democracy, you have to look at what the PPP has done”.

“We are confident that we have restored the symbols of nationhood in this society and this is what keeps us together,” the minister stated.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo described the motion as “self –serving”, saying that the opposition leader is hoping for a “fluke” in the motion being carried.

He said the motion was moved with political viciousness and resulted in the image of the country being reflected as unstable.

( 2 ) ( 1 )</s>(STABROEK NEWS) — A high-stakes gambit by the PPP/C paid off tonight when APNU+AFC MP Charrandas Persaud voted for the opposition motion of no-confidence meaning that fresh general elections will have to be held in three months.

Persaud, an attorney, who represents the AFC wing of the coalition, voted yes when it was his turn tonight, stunning the National Assembly and clearly taking the government benches by surprise.

His vote brought proceedings to an immediate halt as government MPs attempted to have him change his vote. Both APNU+AFC Chief Whip Amna Ally and MP Volda Lawrence who is the chairman of the PNCR rounded on him to no avail.

Persaud, a Berbician, proceeded to repeat at least four times that he was in favour of the motion when Speaker Dr Barton Scotland had the process restarted. The vote was then concluded and the no-confidence motion succeeded 33 to 32 meaning that the government had fallen.

The voting came at the end of nearly seven hours of gruelling debate on the PPP/C’s motion which had had the political class on tenterhooks.

The collapse of the government comes at a particularly precarious time with President David Granger being unwell and the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission also unwell.

Thus far there has been no word on the collapse of his government from President Granger.

Jagdeo’s motion of no-confidence was crafted on the heels of the November 12 local government elections where the PPP/C stormed to impressive wins.

The PPP/C lost the 2015 general elections by a mere 4,500 votes and will now fancy its chances at the new polls. It however has to decide who its presidential candidate will be.

With first oil set for 2020, the outcome will rock the entire country and particularly the investment community. Preparations for general elections will create a period of instability and a vacuum when important pieces of legislation and the execution of the 2019 budget are required. It will also raise questions about whether the President would be able to lead the government through this period as his chemotherapy regimen for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma goes all the way up to May.

Tonight’s outcome will be a particularly bitter outcome for Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo who was one of the speakers on the motion tonight and who up to last night had boldly said that no APNU+AFC MP would vote for the PPP/C motion.

There is great irony to the no-confidence motion. Nagamootoo and the AFC had tabled one against the PPP/C in 2014 and to avoid losing it, the President Donald Ramotar prorogued and then dissolved Parliament leading to the 2015 elections which APNU+AFC won.

There would now be great uncertainty as whether the APNU+AFC coalition would survive this collapse.

Tonight’s development may also impel the formation of new groupings to occupy the third party space.

In September 2013, Persaud had a falling out with the AFC. He told Stabroek News then that he left the AFC because he was treated as second class and taken for granted. He later patched up with the AFC in time for the 2015 general elections and was named a member of Parliament.

The collapse of the government has once again underlined the fragility of the government going back to 2011 when the Ramotar administration government with a minority. In 2015, APNU+AFC won only a one-seat majority.

Article 106 (6) of the constitution says that “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence”.

This would then necessitate a formal resignation by the APNU+AFC Cabinet and the President.

Article 106 (7) of the constitution says that “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election”.

This will be the third abbreviated term of government since 1997 when President Janet Jagan’s term was cut short following political unrest. President Ramotar’s term was also cut in 2015 when he was forced to call general elections.

All eyes will now be on who the PPP/C’s presidential candidate will be. That process is to start on Thursday. A hint of the PPP/C thinking might be seen in today’s lineup of speakers on the no-confidence motion. Aside from Jagdeo who is not eligible to run for another term in office, the other speakers were PPP/C Chief Whip Gail Teixeira and MPs Irfaan Ali, Anil Nandlall and Juan Edghill. Teixeira, Ali and Nandlall have signalled interest in being the presidential candidate. Both Ali and Nandlall are currently facing criminal charges. Dr Frank Anthony who has also been seen as a potential candidate was not in today’s lineup for the PPP/C.

Whoever is selected will only have three months to establish his or herself with the electorate.</s>GEORGETOWN, Guyana — A lawmaker from the ruling coalition in Guyana voted late Friday with the opposition for a no-confidence motion, bringing down the administration of President David Granger and forcing fresh elections by March.

Government legislator Charrandass Persaud said: “I voted with my conscience.”

The main opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) said it was emboldened by the coalition’s poor showing in November’s midterm elections. The PPP picked up several seats in places that had recently been a stronghold for parties that form part of the political alliance known as A Partnership for Unity.

The vote now means that elections will have to be held even though Granger still has nearly two years left in his constitutional term.

The country is also about a year away from becoming an oil producer.

Clearly stunned by the development, legislators openly persuaded Persaud to vote with the combined APNU-AFC coalition, which holds 33 seats in the country’s National Assembly to the PPP’s 32. He stubbornly refused, saying: “Yes, yes, yes,” when asked if he was siding with the opposition. He was escorted out of the chamber by police and allowed to leave through a back entrance after voting.

Opposition leader and former President Bharrat Jagdeo said Persaud might have been impacted by the layoff of about 7,000 sugar workers from the area where he lives and practices as an attorney.

Moses Nagamootoo, who is prime minister and head of the assembly, said that there may be outcomes “which have not been anticipated, but the outcome has to be accepted.”

Nagamootoo said the government wanted supporters to know that the coalition would make another run in fresh elections.

“This is not the end,” he said.</s>GEORGETOWN, GUYANA—A lawmaker from the ruling coalition in Guyana has voted with the opposition for a no-confidence motion, bringing down the administration of President David Granger and forcing fresh elections by March.

The main opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) said it was emboldened by the coalition’s poor showing in November’s midterm elections. The PPP picked up several seats in places that had recently been a stronghold for parties that form part of the political alliance known as A Partnership for Unity.

The vote now means that elections will have to be held even though Granger still has nearly two years left in his constitutional term.

The country is also about a year away from becoming an oil producer.</s>Granger confirms early general elections; AFC expels Charrandas Persaud after he voted with PPP on no-confidence motion

President David Granger Saturday morning indicated that his administration would abide by the stipulations, such as early general elections, stemming from the no-confidence motion that the opposition won.

“We will do everything necessary to facilitate the smooth functioning of General and Regional Elections bearing in mind the need for normal governmental functions to continue uninterrupted,” President Granger was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Ministry of the Presidency.

The President’s announcement effectively rules out the likelihood of a political accommodation with the opposition People’s Progressive Party for elections to be pushed back beyond 90 days.

Elections were due to be held the latest by August, but with the passage of the no-confidence motion elections would have to be held by March, 2019.

Meanwhile, the Alliance For Change announced the immediate expulsion of backbencher Charandass Persaud who Friday night broke ranks with the government side and voted with the 32 People’s Progressive Party parliamentarians to pass the Jagdeo-sponsored motion. The AFC said he would be recalled and replaced by someone else.

The AFC expressed shock and betrayal at Persaud’s move, coming on the heels of his unwavering support for the just passed 2019 National Budget.

“The party regrets the dissenting vote of Mr. Persaud and wishes to assure all Guyanese that at no time did the party have any indication whatsoever, either from Mr. Persaud or otherwise, that he would vote in any way other than firmly against the motion.

The AFC acknowledges that this unforeseen development would have come as a shock to many Guyanese in Guyana and the Diaspora and that persons would be distraught and hurt by it,” the AFC said.

The President also said he has agreed to meet with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo at his request.

The President said too that he is anxious to engage Opposition Leader, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo on any concerns he may have and assures the Guyanese people “that this is not a crisis which could dissolve into any type of confrontation.”

“Mr. Jagdeo contacted the Minister of State and a meeting will be arranged as early as possible so that his concerns can be addressed,” the Head of State added.

The Head of State made it clear that his government would embark on discussions with its coalition partners the Alliance For Change (AFC) and those who are part of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

Article 106 (7) of the Constitution of Guyana states, “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the elections.”

Moreover, the President said, “This is a constitutional process which can have favourable outcomes for the nation… There is no cause for alarm and there are no grounds for any form of disorder and we will continue to work to provide a good government and deliver public services to the people and to work even more closely with the opposition”.

President Granger disclosed too that he met with some ministers Saturday morning, who would henceforth be engaging the AFC ministers.</s>Guyana’s fragile multiracial coalition government fell after a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly late Friday, setting off a general election campaign nearly two years before President David A. Granger’s constitutional term is complete.

The surprise collapse comes less than four years after a coalition of Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese politicians, promising a new style of inclusive politics, defeated a party that had held power for more than two decades.

A retired military commander, Mr. Granger has had trouble controlling a fractious cabinet and has been slow in putting together a regulatory and environmental framework to prepare the country for the first commercial production of oil, scheduled in 2020.

The discovery of oil by Exxon Mobil off Guyana’s Atlantic coast in recent years promises to transform the economy of the English-speaking South American country of 750,000 people. But even advisers to the government have warned that with the county’s history of corruption, Guyana risks squandering billions of dollars in annual revenue from taxes and royalties.</s>Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament (MP) Charandass Persaud voted in favour of the no-confidence motion that was debated in the National Assembly on Friday.

During the reading of the motion, the Speaker’s opinion was that the no’s have it.

However, Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira called for a division for the tabulation of the votes.

During the tabulation, all 32 of the Opposition MPs voted in favour of the motion being carried, with the AFC MP giving them the one vote needed to have the motion passed.</s>(DEMERARA WAVES) – Government back-bencher Charandass Persaud voted with the opposition Peoples Progressive Party to win the no-confidence motion in the 65-seat National Assembly that was sponsored by the opposition, after several hours of debate.

Despite repeated urges by fellow parliamentarians to change his vote, Persaud declined.

Minister of Health Volda Lawrence also unsuccessfully asked for a brief suspension to allow for a resolution.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams ,sought to block Jagdeo from wrapping up the debate by citing a parliamentary rule that the motion be put. That motion was seconded by Ramjattan, but before Teixeira could object, House Speaker Dr. Barton Scotland said he would speak on the motion after Jagdeo.

Early on in the debate, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo signaled that even if his People’s Progressive Party lost the vote in the House, that party would win the next general elections.

Except for Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan and Junior Minister Simona Broomes, government’s defence of its performance since May 2015 was lacklustre.

Ramjattan, early in his 40-minute contribution, candidly said the vote was down to numbers instead of talk.

“The defence of the no-confidence motion is when we vote here,” Ramjattan said as less than 200 mostly green-clad pro-government supporters stood behind police barriers opposite Parliament Building.

Inside the House, several government parliamentarians were clothed in green and yellow, colors of the governing A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change.

He charged that the motion was more about Jagdeo- a former President, Opposition Leader, and now PPP General Secretary- on whom he called to give way to a successor. “The discussion here is to show the relevance of the ppp at this time and the mover of the motion. What you are doing here honourable member? You dont want to give a bright youngster a chance”, said Ramjattan.

Recalling that he had been expelled from the now opposition PPP because he had spoken out against corruption when he had been a member of that party, Ramjattan said the drug trade has been dented and Guyana’s international ranking in combatting trafficking in persons. “Corruption was always going to be their bugbear. I used to be in the belly of the beast and when you start talking, the Honourable member started the expulsion process”, he said.

Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira said the PPP was buoyed by clear popular vote victories in the 2016 and 2018 local government elections.

She accused the APNU+AFC administration of rejecting proposals from the opposition and ignoring its supporters. “One of the major complaints of your supporters is that you ignore them…This government has squandered the goodwill of the Guyanese people especially your supporters,” she said.

Opposition parliamentarians Anil Nandlall and Irfan Ali also pummelled government’s record in several areas such as a loss of 30,000 jobs; poor economic performance such as high government spending and a lack of private sector stimulus.

Junior Minister Broomes cited improvements in several interior lications such as Bartica, Port Kaituma, Mahdia and Mabaruma in addition to City areas such as Kitty. Broomes also highlighted improvement in the quality of housing being provided to ordinary Guyanese. “We are not moving into housing. We are moving you into communities,” she said. Instead of being a four-member family to be eligible for government housing, she said the coalition government has changed that to any single person 18 years or older.

Nandlall blamed government for failing to fulfill several promises, such as constitutional reform, outlined in its 2015 elections manifesto. The former Attorney General added that the coalition breached it’s own February 2015 political agreement between the APNU and AFC on, among other things, the intended responsibilities for domestic affairs chairing the cabinet and making certain constitutional bodies.

In his rebuttal, Prime Minister Nagamootoo refused to discuss his role,

 “I would not be baited into discussing the role of the Prime Minister in this Parliament”, he said.

Saying there were no new arguments by the PPP as they had all been ventilatee in the 2019 budget debate.

Williams merely rehashed well-known allegations of state-sponsored death squads, and extra-judicial killings by police. “There is no way the Guyaenese people will ever again give them a mandate to run the government”, he added.

Loud heckling across the floor heard the PPP’s Neend Kumar and APNU+AFC back-bencher referring to extra-judicial killings Kumar shouted “Vincent Teekah, Fr Darke” who were killed in the 1980s when the People’s National Congress was in power.

Adams lashed back: “(Ronald) Waddel, Crum-Ewing, and Sash Sawh “your own minister” who were all gunned down in the 2000s while the PPP was in office.

Nandlall predicted that his PPP would win the next general elections and government has done a poor job in defending its record.”We will go in 2019 or in 2019 and you will be beaten again. And why, because the people of Guyana have given you a fair chance,” he added.

Nandlall, a likely presidential candidate for the PPP, failed to use the Ethnic Relations Commission to conduct ethnic impact assessments, repeal legislation to enshrine independence of the Parliament, a largely non-functional Judicial Service Commission and failure reform and modernise the Deeds Registry. At that juncture, Attorney General Williams heckled “done, done” to indicate they had been completed. “They are calling their own manifesto a bogus manifesto”, he added.

Nandlall also assailed government for failing to fulfill its promise of 2,000 jobs in each of the 10 administrative regions, and the creation of a national youth policy</s>In his rebuttal, the Minister of State, Joseph Harmon tired to defend his Government against the onslaught occasioned by Opposition Leader Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, where he pronounced, among many things, that government took away the $10 000 grant for school children.

However, Harmon’s continuous references to personal matters earned him reprimand from the Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland.

While he did not not address the Opposition Leader’s most contentious charges, Harmon focused on the D’Urban Park celebration for Guyana’s jubilee and other extraneous issues.

In fact, the Minister made a case for the importance of D’Uban Park, a project shrouded in controversy.

Debate surrounded the construction of the Park after it was revealed, in 2016, that most of the stands had significant defects. After embarrassing disclosures about the poor construction work on the stands, President David Granger had announced that the Ministry of the Presidency would take over responsibility for completion of the first phase of the project.

An audit subsequently found that the D’Urban Park had cost some $1.37 billion. Despite the enormous cost to build and continually repair the facility, it has been grossly underutilised, with mostly vagrants using it for shelter, apart from some recreational activities ongoing there in the afternoons.

Meanwhile, when Harmon referred to the parliamentary Opposition as an “annex of evil” Scotland again rebuked him for his unparliamentary language.

Harmon however, continued to brag that his Government was able to construct the edifice in just one year.

“The park is a central location, it has convenience for parking and has the ability to hold 50,000 ” Harmon said.

Harmon also bragged of the increase of visitors to Guyana.

Touching on Jagdeo’s criticism of the lack of job creation, Harmon pointed to the recent graduation from the Board of Industrial training.

According to the Minister, the no-confidence motion pushed by the Opposition is aimed at dividing the Guyanese people.

Further, he contended that not only did the coalition Government bring back confidence and the symbols of nationhood to Guyana but he also expressed confidence that his administration has brought back Guyana to being a land of opportunities.</s>In light of alleged intelligence received by the Parliamentary Opposition that the APNU/AFC Government might attempt to disrupt Friday’s sitting of the National Assembly which is scheduled for the debate of the no-confidence motion against the incumbent, Opposition Chief Whip Gail Texeira on Wednesday called on the Police Commissioner Leslie James to put steps in place to ensure the security of not only Members of Parliament (MPs) but the citizenry as well.

“We… call on you to take the necessary interventions to ensure that the rule of law prevails and not only the sitting of the National Assembly on December 21, 2018 will be allowed to proceed peacefully but also the safety of citizens beyond the precincts of the Parliament Buildings and property, life and limb will be protected from any efforts to create violence and mayhem,” her letter said.

Texeira outlined that this is a “matter of serious proportions relating to public safety and the security of the National Assembly, the Parliament Buildings and all Guyanese citizens.”

“We have received information that there will be an attempt to prevent the Members of the Parliamentary Opposition from entering the compound of the Parliament Buildings on December 21st, 2018 for the sitting of the National Assembly, the day that the Government has identified for the debate on the Parliamentary Opposition’s motion of No Confidence. Our information points to some very ominous plans to physically disrupt the sitting by either invading the Chambers, and, or, creating disruption within the Chambers. The intention is to interrupt the debate and the vote on the No Confidence Motion” the Opposition Chief Whip in her letter explained.

Moreover, the alleged plans are also said to be aimed that preventing Opposition MPs from exiting the compound of the Parliament Building at the conclusion of the sitting as well as threatening the safety of citizens going about their business beyond the precincts of the Parliament Buildings.

Texeira, in her missive noted that her Party remains “confident that the Guyana Police Force will uphold the law and manage any threats to the public safety of the Members of the National Assembly, the Parliament Buildings and the citizens of our country.”

On Monday, Opposition Leader Dr Bharrat Jagdeo called on the authorities and the National Assembly to implement measures that will protect MPs and ensure that Friday’s no-confidence vote can go forward unhindered.

Jagdeo had expressed fears that there may be attempts to disrupt the vote by persons in the gallery.

According to Jagdeo, it only takes one crossover vote or two abstentions from the Government side for them to win.

He said that because of this precarious margin and certain information his party has received, they were apprehensive.

“We are aware that they plan to install people in the galleries and should someone (from Government) vote in favour of the no-confidence motion, from the galleries

 they will … disrupt the vote. We’ve heard that should [that] fail, some of their MPs will disrupt the vote.”

Jagdeo theorized that they may be hoping that should the vote be disrupted, the vote will be invalidated. He made it clear that his party would notify Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland.

“We will bring this to the attention of the Speaker. We will also insist, like what happens in many parts of the world, once someone votes in favour of the no-confidence motion, the Government falls. If you have 32 votes on our side, and one of their Members of Parliament vote in favour, the mathematics changes and it’s 33 in favour and 32 remaining votes.

“When the Clerk of the National Assembly calls the names of the Members of Parliament and should one of their members vote (in favour), no matter what happens afterwards, the vote is passed … because if you allow disruptions, you can never have (a non-contentious vote). So, if the Speaker allows (the vote to be invalidated), we will deem that an act of collusion.”

Jagdeo expressed hope that the diplomatic community would bear witness to the proceedings, whichever way the vote turned out.

Noting that the proceedings were being recorded, he warned that attempts to disrupt the vote would be publicised around the world. Jagdeo also spoke of threats and related that they would write to the Commissioner of Police.
A motion of no confidence is passed by the National Assembly of Guyana with a vote of 33–32, triggering early elections scheduled for 2019.