PUBLICATION of the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE), as well as several other operational undertakings, has to be completed before a date for the claims and objections period is announced.

This was according to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Public Relations Officer (PRO), Richard Francois, who spoke to the Guyana Chronicle yesterday via telephone.

SEVENTH CYCLE
The claims and objections period is the next step after a continuous cycle of registration, the last one being the seventh cycle of continuous registration.
Some 6,003 persons took advantage of the seventh cycle of registration, which ended on December 31, 2014. There were also 1,163 changes and corrections to existing registration information that was done during the seventh continuous cycle of registration, as well as 1,248 transfers.
The seventh cycle of continuous registration commenced on November 30th, 2014, and allowed persons the opportunity to register for the first time, conduct transfers and make changes to their registration details.
The claims and objections period is necessary to finalise the Official List of Electors (OLE), which will facilitate voting on Elections Day, the date for which is still to be announced by President Donald Ramotar.
Early last December, the Head of State ended the wait of the Guyanese people with the much-anticipated announcement on the way forward to bring an end to the current political impasse – a move to early general and regional elections.

AFTER DATE IS SET
A move by the President to set a date will have a bearing on several processes. Once a date is set, it will translate into the dissolution of Parliament, which currently still stands suspended under the November prorogation proclamation; political parties will then kick into campaign mode.
Also, once a proclamation announcing a date is made by the President to go to general and regional elections, GECOM will have its timelines with which to work.
Meanwhile, the GECOM PRO, in a prior statement, disclosed that logistical and administrative preparations have long begun in “earnest” for the professional and transparent management of the impending general and regional elections.
“The Commission now awaits the announcement by His Excellency, The President, of the date for General and Regional Elections, after meaningful collaboration with GECOM,” François stated.
The last general and regional elections were held in November 2011.

(Vanessa Narine)