NEW United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Ms. Mikiko Tanaka, has paid a courtesy call on Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally.During their cordial discussion, Dr. Surujbally gave Ms. Tanaka a background of the Guyana Elections Commission and how the elections management body is constituted and functions.

According to a release from GECOM, the United Nations has, over the years, always provided support to GECOM, notably in the areas of civic and voter education, Information Technology and Logistics.

The new UNDP Resident Representative explained that while she acknowledges the Chairman’s point on the importance of maintaining the integrity of the electoral processes, she could not, at this point in time, commit to any specific assistance from the UNDP, since this would require strategic discussions with the Government of Guyana as part of defining development assistance priorities in coming years.

Dr. Surujbally took the opportunity to apprise the UN Resident Coordinator about the just concluded 8th Cycle of Continuous Registration, and indicated that the Claims and Objections period would commence on the 17th October, 2016.

Dr. Surujbally and Ms. Tanaka both agreed that GECOM plays an integral role in the nation’s democratic development, and thus both institutions remain committed to achieving greater success in the electoral processes.