OVER 6,500 PERSONS REGISTERED
– even as AFC claims response to the exercise was ‘weak’
THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has said over 6,500 eligible Guyanese have been registered under the 13-day second round of the ‘Claims and Objections’ exercise which ended on August 4. A source close to GECOM deemed the response overwhelming and noted that the figure received is not final.

“Based on the figures we have here, it shows that under the Claims and Objections exercise which was reopened on July 25,2011 and ran for 13 days, there were 6,643 new registrations,” the source told the Chronicle.
These persons were not able to register under the initial Claims and Objections period which ended on July 12 due to a lack of source documents.

According to the source, the exercise was a success since these person have further reduced the number of unregistered eligible Guyanese, pointing out that “had it not been for the reopened claims and objections, then these person would not have been able to get onto the list.”

An estimated 8,000 persons received their source documents after the official Claims and Objections exercise ended on July 12.

On Wednesday last, Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon said government was pleased that Guyanese used the re-opened Claims and Objections period to get registered

“Cabinet noted so far the problem-free conduct of the ongoing claims and objections exercise being carried out across all Guyana and in accordance with GECOM’s rules, regulations and usual protocol,” the Cabinet secretary said.

Dr Luncheon added that the General Registrar’s Office (GRO) was working around the clock to ensure Guyanese have access to their source documents.

The revelation by GECOM came less than 24 hours after the Alliance For Change (AFC)’s presidential candidate Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan deemed the Claims and Objections exercise as “weak”.

“Very many people did not turn up; that is what we are getting from the (extension) locations, because many of those people haven’t had their source documents and in some areas in Georgetown there are complications, in that the registration exercise for single persons takes some 3 1/2 hours and it is very sluggishly done,” Ramjattan reportedly told a media conference on Wednesday.

Many say Ramjattan’s comments were far from the truth and may have been a reflection of his party’s initial objection to the re-opening of the exercise.

The AFC and the main opposition PNCR, now APNU, had initially expressed their concern over the high number of unregistered voters after the claims and objections exercise closed on July 12, and this was subsequently supported by the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

The PPP, following that, wrote GECOM suggesting that it consider reopening the exercise and, at a special meeting of GECOM’s Commissioners last month, it was agreed that the exercise will be re-opened for 13 days.

The PPP/C later moved a motion in the house to have the exercise re-opened which was supported by the PNCR and opposed by the AFC.