Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan announced on Thursday that Local Government Elections (LGE) will held on Monday November 12.
He made the announcement while addressing indigenous leaders and their representatives during the morning session of the National Toshaos Conference at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre at Liliendaal.
The elections this year will see eight new Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) being formed as well as a new town. Reports are that Mahdia in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) is earmarked to become a town.
At the March 16 LGE, approximately 507,633 persons were registered to vote for representatives of three political parties ,17 voluntary groups and 63 individual candidates in a mixed system of Proportional Representation and First Past the Post.
In June this year at the launching of a public awareness campaign on the lawns of Parliament Buildings , Bulkan noted that that the government views local government organs as a critical partner in national development, and that integral to the approach is a better resourced and organised local government system; one that is effective in the discharge of its functions.
Minister Bulkan said that the awareness campaign is aimed at bringing more information to the populace to ensure more participation in the LGE later this year.
He expressed hope that participation will be greater than the 43% which obtained at the last LGE in March 2016.