THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) may not be able to hold long overdue Local Government elections this year and Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon says this could lead to a loss of public confidence in the body and outrage from stakeholders.

“The likelihood of achieving the goal of Local Government elections in 2009 has dimmed”, he told reporters yesterday at his weekly post-Cabinet briefing.

He said the commission has informed the Office of the President about its likely failure to conduct the polls and the government will issue “a more comprehensive reaction publicly” after GECOM makes a formal public statement on the matter.

The government, clearly unhappy at the turn of events, is fingering the commission for the further delay in running off the elections after the firm promise by Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally that it would have been able to do so by the end of November this year, or earlier.

“The efforts that have been put into having Local Government elections in 2009 have been considerable and much explanation would be due”, Luncheon said.

Problems also include financial and budgeted considerations, the programming and logistics for whatever new elections date the commission gives, and how these would be accommodated within the programming and the logistics cycle, he said.

Luncheon said the commission has blamed the impending delay on, among other factors, unplanned delays in producing ID cards and a demarcation exercise to give effect to the provisions in the Local Authority Amendment Act whose logistics require a significant amount of effort and time to conclude.

He said the implications of another delay in the polls to put new people at the helm of the local governance level include the loss of public confidence.

If the polls are put back yet again, he said GECOM would, at a minimum, be forced to respond to criticisms and the outrage of those who had contributed and anticipated that the situation with local government would have been addressed, even though untimely, by the election of representatives to correct the governance issues in local government.

Luncheon said the commission in disappointing in the 2009 date, might be constrained to offer a new date “but would be offering it perhaps with tongue in cheek having failed their solemn undertaking with the support of important stakeholders, including the political parties and the government”.

“…so even if they were to say (the elections would be held in) 2010, I suspect that they would have to accept that maybe their word doesn’t carry as much weight as it once did and they might be leading into false expectations again.

“I have told them that the opportunity must be taken by them to address the Guyanese people on this matter”, he said.

On Local Government elections not being held next year because general elections are due in 2011, Luncheon said GECOM could say it has a policy that stipulates that in the year prior to general elections no other elections would be held.

“I am not aware that such a policy position has been adumbrated, but I am certain when GECOM does invite the press when this announcement would be made, that questions of this sort would be put to the Chairman and members of the commission”, he offered.

Surujbally in March said local government elections – last held 15 years ago – can be called by November 30 this year or even earlier.

Reacting to renewed concerns by President Bharrat Jagdeo that the delay in calling fresh elections at the village, town and other community levels has been too long, the GECOM head said his team is prepared for the polls.

“We are prepared to have elections by November 30 and I think we can perhaps even do a bit better than that — but all is resting on the deliberations of the joint task force for local government reform”, Surujbally said.

The joint task force process, after some eight years, failed to advance the process.