THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is on track in training temporary field staff for the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE), having trained some 1,300 persons every week for the past five weeks.

This information was relayed by GECOM’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward, who reminded that the services of some 8,000 persons will be needed on November 12, 2018 to ensure smooth proceedings at polling stations.

The field staff currently being trained include presiding officers; assistant presiding officers; poll clerks; ballot clerks/counting assistants and information clerks.

“It’s going very well. Every week we’re training at 20 different locations at different parts of the country. We’ve had training already at the East Bank, Georgetown, on the West Bank and West Coast. We’re on the East Coast today and then we’ll be moving to several locations over the next few weeks, doubling our effort,” Ward said on Sunday.
She stated further, that GECOM is sparing no effort and is going to all lengths to ensure the quality of staff on Election Day is of the highest standard.

Some of the functions which must be adhered to in the various fields, range from monitoring the ballot box; checking for names on the voter’s list; stamping the official mark on ballot papers and ensuring that the voter’s finger is stained with electoral ink.
“Every participant is going through a full-two day training and everything that is required for them to know to properly man the polling station on Elections Day,” Ward added.
Even as this is ongoing, the Commission is expected to soon make a determination on whether it will be accepting technical assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

On May 10, 2018, the UNDP team met with ministers of the government on GECOM’s request, to discuss possible assistance in preparation for the 2018 LGE and the 2020 General Elections in Guyana.

Following little follow up from GECOM Chairman Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson, in this regard and his reported reluctance to meet further with the UNDP, questions were raised in the media.

Providing an update on the situation, Ward stated: “The matter is still being discussed at the level of the Commission and there are some… processes that need to be done with the Commission and the UNDP, and so the Commission is working through that process and the final determination by the Commission on the staff assistance, we will formally make an announcement.”