GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The main Opposition People’s Progressive Party says the announcement of a March 2, 2020 election and a call to return to parliament is an attempt by the Government to blackmail the Opposition.

“The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) remains convinced that his (president) call for a return to the National Assembly is an attempt to blackmail the Parliamentary Opposition into extending the life of his illegal Government, so that he can secure some legal cover for the many illegal acts, including the approval of billions in contracts, which have been committed since the passage of the no-confidence motion on December 21, 2018.All of this is taking place as he grasps for some level of respectability,” the party said in a statement.

According to the PPP, there is no valid link between the naming of an election date and the need to return to parliament.

The party said it is “wholly unnecessary for him (president) to discharge his constitutional duty to proclaim a date for elections and dissolve Parliament, nor is it linked to a requirement for the GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission) to be ready for elections”.

The Opposition party said nothing short of a signed proclamation from the president, declaring a date for general and regional elections, will be credible. President David Granger, in his address, said the extension of a period beyond three months for the holding of an election is related to the elections commission’s readiness to hold the elections.

“The Government of Guyana must, as a consequence, return to the National Assembly to request an extension. The National Assembly reconvenes on 10th October 2019,” the president sad in his address.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has been saying for months that his party will not be returning to the National Assembly to grant any extension for the holding of elections.