THE Guyana Elections Commission’s newest commissioner, Athmaram Mangar, took his oath of office at the Office of the President yesterday  before President Donald Ramotar.

The new commissioner was congratulated by the Head of State who said he should always remember that the work of the commission should be foremost in his mind, as the country moves forward with improving its democratic institutions.
Parliamentary House Speaker Raphael Trotman and GECOM’s Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally witnessed the swearing in.
Commenting on his new post, the 34-year old Mangar said that given his technical expertise in electronics management, “It is a policy post, so I expect there will be some policy-making as well; I can deal with the technical matters a little bit more, at least that’s the environment I’m very comfortable in”. He added that he was honoured to be selected to serve in the post.
Mangar is a representative of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic and replaces Attorney-at-Law Jaya Manickchand who recently resigned her post. The other commissioners are Vincent Alexander, C. Corbin, Sandra Jones, Keshav Mangal and Mahamood Shaw.
A new Chief Elections Officer is still to be appointed, and according to Dr. Surujbally, the commission has received several applications for the post and will soon be short-listing the candidates. GECOM has received 14 applications for the post formerly held by Gocool Boodoo, including three from internationally based candidates.
GECOM is the entity responsible for the administration and conduct of elections in Guyana. It is headed by a chairman and six commissioners, and is supported by a core staff in its Secretariat. (GINA)