THE governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) yesterday expressed the opinion that resolution of its concerns raised relative to elections issues could pave the way for free and fair elections in Guyana.

The party has said that after it had raised legitimate concerns over the last several months, it has been on the receiving end of verbal attacks made by the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally.

“Over the past several months, the PPP has had cause to write the Commission on a number of discrepancies that were unearthed by our activists and supporters while conducting field work,” the party said as it further detailed its bemusement to note that, instead of focusing on the concerns and loopholes that exists, Dr. Surujbally is taking the approach of brushing aside issues of concern and issuing statements full of rhetoric.

The PPP has, accordingly, reiterated its position that “no stone will be left unturned” in its efforts to remove any impediment to free and fair elections.

“We will strive to ensure that proper mechanisms are in place so that no eligible Guyanese will be disenfranchised,” the PPP explained. The party was, however, quick to add that its representation to GECOM should not be viewed as a loss of its confidence in the elections regulatory body, but rather as a fulfilling of its responsibility to its constituencies as a major political stakeholder in Guyana’s future.

“Many so-called elections pundits have accused the PPP wrongfully, but our position remains firm to this day. We deal with issues not personalities”, the party has said.
Moreover, the PPP said it was responsible for making the call for an extension to the sixth cycle of Continuous Registration, and had made representation to GECOM with regard to its concerns. The party noted that it was also responsible for requesting an extension of the last Claims and Objections period after its field work had indicated that a number of Guyanese from every community and from all walks of life were still to conduct transfers, especially those living in the new housing schemes; while many were yet to secure source documents and be registered.

Taking this into consideration, the party had made another call on GECOM to conduct another cycle of continuous registration “to facilitate persons who have not done so as yet, so they can be registered and afforded their democratic right, now that Parliament has been constitutionally prorogued, allowing for meaningful dialogue with the Opposition and creating a window for GECOM to conduct its operations in a transparent and accountable manner”, the PPP stated.