THE three political parties are being called on by the private sector, the local Bar Association, trade union representatives and the diplomatic corps to hold the long-awaited Local Government Elections.

A joint statement making clear this call was issued yesterday on behalf of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), the Consultative Association of Guyanese Industry (CAGI), the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL), the Guyana Bar Association (GBA), the Justice Institute (JI), the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC),the High Commission of Canada, the British High Commission, the Embassy of the United States of America and Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI).

The contention of the grouping is that the “legislative foundation” is now in place for elections, and, as such, the process must be treated as an urgent matter.

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 the importance of local government elections to the country’s democracy.
The House passed the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2013, which states that elections must be held on or before August 1, 2014.
The August date was made via an amendment to the Bill, proposed by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) while the House was in committee.

The statement said, “In anticipation of local government elections, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been intensifying its preparations and expanding voter education outreach to familiarize people with the voting process.

“The Ministry of Local Government has been hosting seminars and workshops with stakeholders to promote voter education. GECOM’s Chairman has stated that the Commission is fully equipped and ready to stage the elections.

“It has already demarcated the boundaries and constituencies in 69 of 71 districts, and each district has been targeted for voter education.”

The grouping maintained that the election machinery is ready.

GECOM’S READINESS
The statement noted that once a date for elections is announced, GECOM can begin the statutory steps required by law to hold local government elections.

“By all accounts, GECOM is well prepared and poised to ensure free, fair and transparent local elections whenever called upon by the government to do so,” it said.
According to the group, the local government elections will bring “much needed reinvigoration” into local government entities.

“That is something all parties and civic stakeholders should agree on in 2014,” the statement said.

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker, made it clear on Monday that the ministry’s readiness is not the only factor that determines Guyana’s overall readiness to host the elections.

The last word from GECOM on the state of its readiness for the long-awaited democratic process was that the Commission already has a work-plan in place to facilitate hosting of local government elections, once it is called.

Public Relations Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Vishnu Persaud, told the Guyana Chronicle that the GECOM would need six months of notice to get that plan operational.

Asked about the status of the continuous registration process, Persaud noted that the last cycle was completed in December. “The sixth cycle is likely to be commenced in March,” he said.

A major component for the hosting of local government elections is the appointment of a Chief Elections Officer.

Local government elections were not held in Guyana since 1994. Prior to that, local government elections were last held in 1970. Subsequent to 1994, the elections could not be conducted because it coincided with the general and regional elections of 1997.

(By Vanessa Narine)