THE opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is calling on Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield to rectify what it calls an “unfortunate impasse” whereby an overseer in Region Three has refused to swear in two of its elected councillors.In a statement issued Saturday, the party noted that Glenis Castello, the overseer of the Local Authority Area Toevlugt/Patentia (Region Three) refused to swear in two “duly elected” PPP councillors who won seats at the recently held Local Government Elections.
According to the PPP, at a meeting held at the Goed Intent Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Office, on April 1, 2016, Saheid Khan and Ravi Chandra Rickhee were prevented from taking their Oaths of Office on the grounds that their names did not appear on the list of names of councillors Castello had in her possession.
This, the party said, was done despite the two individuals presenting their Certificates of Election to both her and other elected councillors. The Certificates of Election were officially issued by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and were dated March 22, 2016. It was supported with a copy of the Official Gazette dated March 29, 2016, signed by Lowenfield, and both Khan’s and Rickhee’s names were published as elected Councillors.
Given this refusal by Castello, the PPP called on the CEO to “rectify this unfortunate impasse” with every convenient speed. “Anything less will be a subversion of the will of the electorate in this Local Authority Area,” the opposition party said.
Efforts to contact Lowenfield to ascertain whether he was aware of this situation proved futile as calls to his phone went unanswered.
At the March 18 Local Government Elections (LGE), the PPP emerged with 60% of the votes cast in the 70 Local Authority Areas which the party contested.
The party won the majority of votes in the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs); even some where “traditionally it had limited or no support.”
In relation to towns, the opposition party won three of the nine, while the APNU+AFC coalition claimed five. A tie was recorded in the other one, Mabaruma.