The legislation establishing Guyana’s Constitution Reform Commission (CRC) has become the focal point of the controversy surrounding the exclusion of the main parliamentary opposition, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), from the body overseeing the country’s constitutional reform process.

At the heart of the debate is the Constitution Reform Commission Act of 2022, which fixes the Commission’s membership in law by specifically identifying the political parties and organisations entitled to representation. The Act provides for five nominees from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), four from A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), and one jointly nominated by the Liberty and Justice Party, A New and United Guyana, and The New Movement. It also provides for representatives from several civil society organisations, including the Guyana Bar Association, the National Toshaos Council, the labour movement, religious organisations, women’s groups, youth organisations and the private sector.

Because the Commission’s composition is prescribed by statute, any addition or removal of political parties or organisations can only be effected through an amendment to the legislation rather than by a decision of the Commission itself.