The 2025 General and Regional Elections will not be delayed, as Chief Justice Roxanne George dismissed two election-related cases brought earlier this year by Christopher Ram and Vishnu Bandhu.
The cases argued that sections of the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) infringed on Guyanese citizens’ right to contest elections individually, and contradicted Articles 147 and 160 of the Constitution.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall welcomed the decision, calling the cases “frivolous”. He said they may have been filed with the intent to postpone the elections.
“This one was clearly intended to delay the elections, I think…but they realised when they read our answer and our submissions I believe that they felt quickly that they can’t achieve that objective…and we managed to persuade the Chief Justice to determine the case long before the elections so that one can’t say we have this hovering over our head going into the elections,” the AG said.
He added that acting Chief Justice George had identified flaws in the arguments presented.
“So, the Court in the end dismissed [the] application as well, [and] found it to be without merit…eventually we were able to persuade the Chief Justice that both applications were frivolous, vexatious, and without merit, and they were dismissed with costs awarded,” he noted.
Both applicants were ordered to pay $500,000 (US$ 2,400) each in costs. Bandhu was directed to pay $ 250,000 to the Attorney General’s Office and the remainder to the Guyana Elections Commission.
