A Motion by Attorney General John Jeremie SC to extend the current State of Emergency for a further three months has been placed on the Order Paper of the House of Representatives for debate on Friday, October 31st.
On Monday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC announced plans to extend the current State of Emergency, which was scheduled to end on October 28th. The Prime Minister said the Commissioner of Police gave the Attorney General and other members of the National Security Council the recommendation that the SOE be extended.
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar also expressed satisfaction with the results of the SOE, noting that there has been a significant decrease in the murder toll.
On July 18th, a State of Emergency was declared as a means of dealing with impending threats from the prisons against the State. On July 28th, the SOE was extended for a period of three months.
According to Section 10 of the Constitution, Parliament can extend the State of Emergency for up to three months at a time, with a simple majority vote in the House of Representatives.
To extend the State of Emergency beyond six months, a resolution must be passed with a special three-fifths majority vote by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.