(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> 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> 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> Share This On:

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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> 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. </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> President David Granger on Thursday stressed that the court could not instruct when general elections must be held because the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is an independent agency and that his administration remained committed to “free, fair and credible” elections with an acceptable voters’ list.

“The President cannot tell the Elections Commission (when elections) must be held; neither can the courts,” he told representatives of the private sector, religious organisations and trade unions at State House. He said there are no deadlines or timelines and there is no date for Guyanese to return to the polls to elect a government of its choice.

Granger made known his position a day after Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire said the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) indicated that polling day should be no later than September 18 or a new date if set by two-thirds of the Parliament.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, in a swift response, criticised the President for seemingly intimidating the judiciary. “It’s impossible to take a President who is so ill-advised seriously. He should familiarize himself with the Esther Perreira case in which the court actually ordered elections by a certain date. In this case the Constitution sets the timeframe for elections when a government is defeated on a vote of no confidence. GECOM was a party to the proceedings in the court and the CCJ orders are binding on it. I interpret his comments as intending to intimidate the Judiciary and reveals an authoritarian instinct. The president who says he respects the rule of law is now telling a separate, independent branch of government what it cannot do.”

The Chief Justice refused Christopher Ram’s request for a conservatory order to stop the house-to-house registration process that began on July 20 for a lack of evidence. However, she is accepting submissions from lawyers representing government, GECOM and Ram on arguments that the registration process is unconstitutional and will collide with the three-month timeframe within which general elections must be called upon the successful passage of a no-confidence motion. The motion was passed on December 21, 2018, and after a long-running legal battle, the Caribbean Court of Justice on June 18 ruled that it was validly passed by a majority of 33 to 32 votes.

President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer was comforted by the fact that the Guyanese leader acknowledged government’s interim status. The business executive said he was, however, concerned that the President’s position conflicted with the Chief Justice’s over the timeframe within which elections must be held.

“It causes some concern because there are two conflicting interpretations. That’s something I want to discuss with more people and get some more opinions,” he said in response to questions by Demerara Waves Online News.

The CCJ had declined to issue conservatory orders such as a date by which general elections should be held, only saying that Guyana’s constitution lays down roles for the President, Opposition Leader, Parliament and GECOM in arriving at a date for polling.

Boyer and GTUC General Secretary, Lincoln Lewis preferred to analyse the President’s address before giving a full reaction in writing. GTUC President, Coretta McDonald expressed disappointment that the President left immediately after addressing the attendees. McDonald said she went to the meeting with questions she had intended to ask the Guyanese leader but instead he left without an interactive session.

“While clarification was brought to some of the issues, we were left halfway, we were like shocked because we came here with the expectation that we were going to be able to ask questions and to have some other issues being clarified but the intention of the President was not to answer questions,” she said. McDonald declined to divulge the questions she came ready to ask.

While the President repeatedly stressed that the Elections Commission has “total control of the electoral process”, he contended that the credibility of the general elections partly depends on the integrity of the voters’ list because “a corrupted or contaminated list can undermine the electoral process, encourage mischief and malpractice and result in the elections being nullified.”

He said general elections would not be practicable unless GECOM is prepared and advises the President that is ready to conduct free, fair and credible elections. “It will be reckless and irresponsible on my part to name a date for the elections without the commission’s assurance and advice that it will be ready to conduct the elections on such a date,” he said.

“The proclamation of an unrealistic date for elections or the adoption of an unacceptable official list of electors will impair the credibility of the elections,” he said. Then GECOM Chairman, James Patterson and the pro-government elections commissioners had agreed that house-to-house registration should be conducted before the next general elections. </s> In the plenum joint meeting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, which will be held today starting at 14:00, will be debated and put up for vote the vote of no-confidence against the government submitted by 152 members of the opposition.

 The document which incriminates the failures of the Dăncilă government has been read in the Parliament on Monday, June 25th. 

 Called "The dismissal of the Dragnea-Dăncilă government, a national emergency!", the vote of no-confidence includes mentions to the rise of inflation, the rise of the ROBOR, the aberrant measures taken by the Executive concerning the definitive change of the fiscal legislation, the lack of investments in infrastructure, the assault on the judicial system, on the second pension pillar and the wage-raising policy.

 To have the motion pass and to bring down the government, the opposition needs 233 votes. So far, calculations show that it lacks over 60 votes.

 Over the last few days, the representatives of the PNL and USR have carried out intense negotiations with the leaders of the UDMR and Pro România.

 If the heads of the UDMR play hard to get, the opposition has received positive signals from the party led by Victor Ponta and Daniel Constantin. Of course, after the liberals have issued assurances that should the vote of no-confidence be successful, Ludovic Orban will not require his nomination as prime-minister.

 Nevertheless, if the opposition didn't get massive support from the UDMR and from national minorities represented in the Parliament, as well as from many PSD members unhappy with the direction the country is going, the vote of no-confidence has slim chances of passing. The minorities and the UDMR, if it were to vote en masse in favor of the motion, would only bring 47 votes to the opposition, which would not be enough to bring the government down.

 UDMR president Kelemen Hunor, yesterday said that only today, after the common session of the joint groups would the MPs of the Union make a decision when it comes to a potential support of the vote of no-confidence submitted by the PNL, USR and PMP.

 The UDMR president said: "Wednesday morning, at 9:00, we will have the joint session of the reunited groups. There, we will make a formal decision concerning the vote of no-confidence, but until then we are going to be talking to our colleagues. We will see what happens, but the decision will be made on Wednesday".

 The UDMR leader has also discussed the manner in which the government can be replaced, adding: "If there is a majority for a certain direction, we will comply with it. No motion that ever passed brought anything worse. 

 As long as a government has the majority, it stays on. When it doesn't, it leaves. I'm not the one ensuring the majority of the Government. At this time, it's the PSD and ALDE that ensure the majority of the Government (...) Since they have the majority, they no longer need our support".

 The UDMR leader yesterday met with the head of the PNL, Ludovic Orban. According to the calculations of the two, a maximum of 194-195 MPS would vote in favor of the vote of no-confidence.

 Kelemen Hunor concluded: "There are many more votes needed to get the needed number of 233. Currently, the opposition, perhaps with some of the minorities, has no chance of bringing down the Government. Without the PSD, without ALDE, without breaking the coalition apart, it can't be brought down, regardless of what anybody may say, because the numbers don't lie. The numbers are really simple and it's extremely easy to perform a simple calculation".

 * Fight in the Parliament spilling into the streets?

 In order to pressure both the MPs of the governing coalition, as well as those of the opposition, the supporters of the two sides have announced their presence today in front of the Parliament's Palace. Initially, the USR and the PNL called for their supporters to protest in front of the Parliament to determine the passing of the vote of no-confidence. But yesterday social-democrat senator Claudiu Manda said that PSD sympathizers will be standing at the entrance located near the Izvor park to support the Dăncilă government.

 Claudiu Manda said: "There are two alternatives, either we can compare their numbers, or things can reach a conflict. But what we are seeing happening today, including at the level of the Parliament, may make the protesters continue to want this kind of actions".

 According to some PSD sources quoted by g4media.ro, the county branches have received a directive asking them to each send 15 today to Bucharest. Those supporters would travel with their own vehicles and should not be public sector employees nor high profile leaders.

 Should the vote of no-confidence pass, the PNL seems willing to negotiate with anybody. According to the things stated two days ago by PNL president Ludovic Orban, the liberals are open to negotiate with "all the civilized, decent political forces, that want the good of Romania, in order to bring Romania back to its natural, Euro-Atlantic path, which honors the fundamental values and principles that underlie the functioning of the EU".

 Moreover, the head of the PNL is asking voters and sympathizers of the party to come as many as possible in front of the Parliament's building, on the occasion of the debate and voting of the motion.

 The USR has also launched a Facebook campaign urging people to take one day off from work, in order to participate in the protests of the entrance near the Izvor park.

 Also scheduled today in the Chamber of Deputies is the voting of the simple motion of no-confidence against Lucian Şova, the former minister of Transportation. PNL, USR and PMP MPs accuse Şova of mismanaging the Romanian infrastructure and failing to produce any projects to concerning the construction of highways, the rehabilitation and modernization of roads, bridges and railways.

 Yesterday, after the closing of this edition, the leaders of the opposition were planning to go to the Victoriei Square, to ask for the support of those who have been protesting for over 510 days against the PSD-ALDE coalition. </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
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.