–Whittaker
MINISTER of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Norman Whittaker said that in preparation for Local Government Elections, the ministry is currently reaching out to various communities to provide voter education.

He made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday he co-hosted with the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Collin Croal, at the ministry, in Fort Street, Kingston, Georgetown.
“We, at the ministry, believe that we have a responsibility to educate people. We are mindful of the registration work being done by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM),” he added, observing that the latter has, reportedly, been accelerating its business.
Whittaker further said that officers of the ministry have spent time with Regional Executive Officers (REOs) and their deputies talking about election preparedness.
He pointed out that, just recently, the ministry’s public awareness efforts, which started last October, became essential to ensuring that there is good voter turnout for the elections.
However, Whittaker emphasised that the ministry’s readiness is not the only factor that determines Guyana’s overall preparedness to host the elections, and noted in particular, the inputs from GECOM.
Three Bills: Fiscal Transfers Bill 2012, Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Bill, and the Local Government Commission Bill were assented to last November.
Rigorous debates

Guyana is expected to host Local Government Elections on or before August 1, 2014, following a vote in the National Assembly, after rigorous debates over its importance to democracy.
The House passed as well, the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2013, which states that elections must be held on or before August 1, 2014.
That Bill’s passage was pushed by the Opposition, which used its one-seat majority to its advantage, even as Government Members of Parliament (MPs) argued in favour of the date being on or before December 1, 2014.
The August date was substituted through an amendment to the Bill, proposed by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), while the National Assembly was in Committee.
Local Government Elections have not been held in Guyana since 1994. Prior to that, the last such balloting was in 1970.
Subsequent to 1994, local elections could not have been conducted because of the coincidence with the general and regional elections of 1997.
By Vanessa Narine