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CHAPTER VII

LOCAL DEMOCRACY

LOCAL DEMOCRATIC ORGANS

71. (1) Local Government is a vital aspect of democracy and shall be organised so as to involve as many people as possible in the task of managing and developing the communities in which they live.

(2) For this purpose Parliament shall provide for the institution of a country-wide system of local government through the establishment of organs of local democratic power as an integral part of the political organisation of the State.

72.(1) Parliament may provide for the division of Guyana (save for any areas excluded by it) into ten regions and into such sub-regions and other subdivisions as it may deem fit for the purpose of organising local democratic organs.

(2) In defining the boundaries of any areas into which Guyana

may be divided under paragraph (1) account shall be taken of the population, the physical size, the geographical characteristics, the economic resources and the existing and planned infrastructure of each area, as well as the possibilities of facilitating the most rational management and use of such resources and infrastructure, with a view to ensuring that the area is or has the potential for becoming economically viable.

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(3) Municipalities, neighbourhood democratic councils and such other subdivisions shall be provided for under paragraph (1), including village and community councils, where there is the need for such councils and where the people request their establishment, shall be vital organs of local democratic power.

73. (1)Members of a regional democratic council shall be elected by persons residing in the region and registered as electors for the purpose of article 159:

Provided that Parliament may make provision for any areas which do not form part of any region to be represented on the regional democratic council of any region near to which it is situate for such purposes as Parliament may prescribe.

(2) Elections of members of regional democratic councils shall be held and the councils shall be dissolved at such times as, subject to paragraph (3), the President may appoint by proclamation.

(3) The interval between any two successive dissolutions of a

regional democratic council shall not exceed five years and four months:

Provided that, if at the expiration of that period the duration of Parliament has been extended under article 70(4), that period shall not be deemed to come to an end until the expiration of the period for which the duration of Parliament has been extended.

73A. Each local democratic organ shall elect one of its councillors to serve as a member of the local democratic organ immediately above the first mentioned local democratic organ and Parliament shall prescribe the procedure for such election and such other matters as may be necessary in connection therewith.

Elections of members of regional councils.

Lower tier of local government to be represented at the tier above.

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Duties of local democratic organs.

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74.(1) It shall be the primary duty of local democratic organs to ensure in accordance with law the efficient management and development of their areas and to provide leadership by example.

(2) Local democratic organs shall organise popular co-operation in respect of the political, economic, cultural and social life of their areas and shall co-operate with the social organisations of the working people.

(3) It shall be the duty of local democratic organs to maintain and protect public property, improve working and living conditions, promote the social and cultural life of the people, raise the level of civic consciousness, preserve law and order, consolidate the rule of law and safeguard the rights of citizens.

75. Parliament shall provide that local democratic organs shall be autonomous and take decisions which are binding upon their agencies and institutions, and upon the communities and citizens of their areas.

76. Parliament may provide for regional democratic councils to raise their own revenues and to dispose of them for the benefit and welfare of their areas.

77. The development programme of each region shall be integrated into the national development plans, and the Government shall allocate funds to each region to enable it to implement its development programme.

77A. Parliament shall by law provide for the formulation and implementation of objective criteria for the purpose of the allocation of resources to, and the garnering of resources by local democratic organs.

Power to take decisions.

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Parliament to provide criteria for allocation of resources by local democratic organs.

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Local government elections.

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78. Parliament may make provision for the election of members of local democratic organs (including the commencement of balloting before the day appointed for holding an election) and for all other matters relating to their membership, powers, duties, functions and responsibilities.

78A. Parliament shall establish a Local Government Commission, the composition and rules of which empower the commission to deal with as it deems fit, all matters related to the regulation and staffing of local government organs and with dispute resolution within and between local government organs.

78.B The electoral system in respect of local democratic organs below the regional democratic councils shall provide for the involvement and representation of individuals and voluntary groups in addition to political parties and accountability to the electors.

79. - 88. [Articles 79 to 88 repealed by Act No. 14 of 2000.]

Local Government Commission.

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Representativeness and accountability of local democratic organs to the electorate

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