NO misdemeanour of any kind, according to Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, will be tolerated by observers of the upcoming general and regional elections and in the event of such acts, accredited bodies will be disaccredited. “I will have no qualms to disaccredit,” he said Thursday at Cara Lodge during a press briefing.
Surujbally explained that concerns about the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) observer status  raised by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and the Inter-Religious Organizations (IRO), are currently under investigation.
The  PPP/C and the IRO are objecting to GPSU’s observer status on the ground that General Secretary of the GPSU, Ms. Deborah Murphy,  endorsed Presidential Candidate of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) as “our David Granger”.
The GECOM Chairman said: “The accredited organisations have agreed to abide by the principles enshrined in the Terms of Reference for local observers, failing which the accreditation could be rescinded.”
He added that  apart from the GPSU, the Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB) has also been accredited as a local observer group.

Foreign Observers
Surujbally pointed out that Guyana has invited the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) as foreign observers.
The latter is the only one that has not yet signed on to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to participate as an observer in the upcoming general and regional elections.
The GECOM Chairman added that several embassies and high commissions have also approached the Commission to participate; however these will be grouped as local observers.
When asked, he noted that special accreditation will be provided to the local media corps to facilitate coverage of the elections, as was done for previous general and regional elections.
According to him, the preparations by GECOM for the electoral process are  transparent.
Surujbally asserted that the Commission is responsive to the concerns and have been accommodative to the suggestions while being guided by the relevant laws and the principles of fairness.