‘I, Khemraj Ramjattan, support what the President did’

Khemraj Ramjattan, Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), a major partner in the Coalition government, has declared agreement with President David Granger’s unilateral appointment of the new chairman of the country’s elections body.

“I, Khemraj Ramjattan, support what the President did,” the AFC chairman told the News Room when contacted on Friday.

President David Granger Thursday evening appointed retired Justice James Patterson as the chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) .

He said that while the President did ask the party for its views, ultimately it was the President’s decision.

“The constitution says it is the President’s judgement call on the matter…it was his call,” Ramjattan stated.

He said that the leadership of the AFC will meet later this evening and issue a statement.

The AFC, which then had seven seats in the National Assembly, joined with the PNCR and other small parties of the APNU bloc to contest the 2015 general elections. That coalition won and rules the country with a one-seat Parliamentary majority.