Kudos for GECOM

From all indications, it would appear that we have been able to bring off yet another national election in a successful and acceptable manner; and in this regard, kudos are in order for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and for all stakeholders.
Inevitably, as in any national election, there was the odd hiccup and flare-up, but not to the level to adversely impact on the integrity and validity of the electoral process. What has been notable, too, is that there has been no report of violence and hostility, and this is an indication that we are maturing as a nation, where people of different political persuasions show respect and tolerance for each other and coexist in harmony.
According to GECOM Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally, a number of reports about misdemeanours at polling places were quelled, and he described them as a storm in a teacup.
“We’ve had little episodes of indiscretion, of behaviours that we would consider inimical to an electoral process; but at the end of the day, all controlled, all surmountable,” Dr Surujbally said.
The first, he said, were ongoing reports of voters’ names being absent from the Official List of Electors (OLE), even though they would have produced their identification cards. Dr. Surujbally said such a scenario was impossible, and called for the evidence.
“I would love to see even an example … one case where an ID card was produced and that person is not on the list… I’m going to debunk that now in total,” Dr. Surujbally said.
Party agents not being able to vote because of their duty to remain at their posts was another reported issue the GECOM chairman repudiated. He said that with the staff complement at one polling station, it would be impossible for such a challenge to occur.
He further explained that candidates of political parties are authorised to venture into polling stations, and can sit in for a polling agent who has not yet gone out to exercise his/her franchise.
“The certificate of employment specifically deals with GECOM staff. People who framed the law framed it with whatever wisdom they had … people might want to revisit that particular law; at this particular point in time, we are sticking by it,” Dr. Surujbally said.
There was, however, one reported case of clashes, after a candidate who was required to leave a polling station after a certain time remained for an extended period.
With respect to the observer missions, the Organisation of American States (OAS) mission, while not making a comprehensive pronouncement on the elections as yet, made some positive comments –- that free elections were in progress in Guyana as citizens turned out to elect a new government.

This was expressed by Chief of Mission, Professor Gordon Shirley, while briefing the media yesterday, two hours before the close of poll.
“We think things have gone well, and we think free elections are in progress,” Professor Shirley said in response to a question on free and fair elections in Guyana.
He added, “We’ve been able to see the turnout that they had … and so far it’s safe to say that everything seems to have been going very well. The turnout is quite large, and it has been a peaceful process.”
So, objective sources have made positive and encouraging pronouncements on the way the electoral process went, and therefore we should have no fear about the integrity and validity of the electoral results.
Perhaps the one disappointment is the sloth with which the preliminary results were being released, and this, understandably, has caused some degree of anxiety and skepticism. Maybe we need to revisit this whole issue of how to expedite the release of results at future elections.

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