Vacancy for Chief Election Officer to be advertised as widely as possible

THE now vacant position of Chief Election Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), previously held by Mr. Gocool Boodoo, will soon be advertised internationally as well as locally.

altThis was revealed in a telephone interview yesterday with GECOM Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Vishnu Persaud, who stated that the position will be advertised as widely as possible.
According to Persaud, appointment of the new CEO can only be done by the elections commission. He said that after the post would have been advertised and applications received, short listing of candidates will be done by the commission itself and not the Human Resources Department of GECOM.
He explained that following that process, short-listed candidates will be invited for interviews and members of the commission will make the final decision on who is the most suitably qualified person for the position.
Persaud stated that the relevant criteria for persons who can apply for the post of CEO will be detailed in an advertisement, which he said will be published “soonest”. He noted that anyone fitting the criteria can apply for the position, including Mr. Gocool Boodhoo. “There is nothing stopping him from applying again,” Persaud remarked.
Meanwhile, he advised that the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the CEO will come under review by the members of the commission at their next meeting, and they will decide whether any amendments are to be made before the position is filled.
The position of Chief Election Officer is now vacant after the commission, by way of majority vote, on Tuesday evening decided against renewing Boodoo’s contract which expired on April 30, 2013.
Opposition commissioners Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Sandra Jones voted against the renewal of Boodoo’s contract, while government commissioners Dr. Keshav Mangal, Mahmood Shaw and Jaya Manickchand voted in favour of its renewal.
GECOM Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally made the tie breaker, voting with the opposition commissioners against Boodoo’s reappointment.
Boodoo had moved to the High Court to prevent the Chairman and Commissioners of GECOM from being able to decide his fate as CEO, and on July 2 acting Chief Justice, Mr. Ian Chang had ruled in his favour. However, that order was subsequently discharged on July 10 by Chang.

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