Senior Counsel Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj has defended House Speaker Brigid Annisette-George’s handling of last Thursday’s motion by the Opposition to remove President Paula-Mae Weekes.
The Opposition advocated for the motion to be debated and attacked Speaker Annissette-George for refusing to allow it, Maharaj said the Constitution does not allow for a debate until the matter is passed by a two-thirds majority of the Electoral College.
The Opposition only received 24 votes in favour and 47 against by the Electoral College, around one-third of the votes.
Maharaj stated that “The Electoral College, therefore, is the body to decide whether an investigation is to proceed by a tribunal constituted to investigate the complaint.”
The motion, he said, must be adopted by a vote, which means that the “motion to go forward requires a vote, not a debate”.
Without the required two-thirds vote in favour, the matter could not go forward.
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