THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), yesterday, unanimously, supported the appointment of Mr. Keith Lowenfield as the new Chief Elections Officer (CEO).

A well-placed source said, depending on the availability of Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang, Lowenfield, who was Deputy CEO, is expected to be sworn in today.
GECOM’s decision follows the Commission’s meeting on Tuesday and overnight evaluations of interviews that were conducted after the post became vacant last August.
Immediately following the Commission’s decision, Lowenfield was summoned to a meeting and was informed of the decision.
GECOM’s Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, took the opportunity to congratulate Lowenfield on being appointed to head the Commission’s Secretariat and expressed his confidence in his ability to honour the responsibilities of the position of Chief Election Officer.
The other Commissioners also congratulated the new CEO and wished him well in his new position.
Responding to the sentiments expressed by Dr. Surujbally and the Commissioners, Lowenfield thanked them individually and collectively for the confidence that the Commission has placed in him through its decision to appoint him to the position of Chief Election Officer and Commissioner of National Registration.
Lowenfield was one of two Guyanese, among the four persons on the shortlist from a “substantive number of applications”, according to GECOM’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Vishnu Persaud.
The others were Acting CEO, Mr. Calvin Benn and Ms. Savitrie Singh, also Guyanese with the latter based in the United States and Mr. Danville Walker, a Jamaican.
According to a statement from GECOM, Benn was not interviewed because he tendered a letter dated March 10, 2014, informing regretfully that he was no longer interested in the post of Chief Election Officer and that, by way of the said letter, he was withdrawing his application for the post.
The statement said, “Mr. Benn submitted in his letter that he had engaged in some serious reflection during a recent period of illness and has concluded that it would be unwise for him to compete for the position of Chief Election Officer. Further, he expressed regrets to the Commission for any inconvenience which might have been caused by his change of heart.”
The CEO is required to play the key leadership role in the Secretariat of GECOM, with responsibility for implementing all aspects of its operations and ensuring that results achieved are consistent with the laws of Guyana and the policies determined by the Commission.
The CEO will be the Commission’s primary point of contact for the staff of the Secretariat, whose activities include the registration of registrants, the distribution of Identification Cards; the provision of information and guidance on electoral operational matters to community organisations and other stakeholders.
The new official will also be required to represent the Commission’s policies and activities in interactions with stakeholders and other interest groups, including political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), donor and international agencies, in matters relating directly to the operations of GECOM.
The post of CEO is integral to the highly anticipated hosting of Local Government Elections.