…secretariat received no approval to start operations
THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) secretariat would need 148 days to put all necessary systems in place for the holding of General and Regional Elections, and though the clock is ticking, the commission has not given the secretariat the approval to go into operations mode.

Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield made the pronouncements while addressing the press alongside Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson; GECOM Deputy CEO Roxanne Myers; and GECOM Public Relations Officer (PRO) Yolanda Ward at the commission’s High and Cowan streets Office on Friday.
Lowenfield said though a detailed work plan was submitted to the commission on January 22, the secretariat has not been issued with a commencement order. Without the approval of the commission, the secretariat cannot initiate plans for the holding of General and Regional Elections.

“So there is no delay tactic on the part of the CEO,” Lowenfield declared, while emphasising that the secretariat is guided by the decision of the commission.
The chief elections officer explained that on January 22, 2019, he presented the commission with options pertaining to the December 21, 2018 decision of the National Assembly, which triggered the need for early elections. The commission, which is chaired by Justice (Ret’d) Patterson and comprises six Commissioners–three appointed by the government and three by the opposition– in response, asked the secretariat to review the options taking into consideration five subsets.

According to Lowenfield, the commission asked the secretariat to determine (1) whether elections could be held within 90 days from December 21 as prescribed by the constitution; (2) whether the Claims-and-Objections period can be incorporated within the 90 days; (3) whether elections could be conducted before the Official List of Electors expires on April 30 and (4) to state the earliest possible time an election could be held if it cannot be facilitated within 90 days. Additionally, the secretariat was asked to explore the possibility of house-to house-registration.

The secretariat submitted its response on January 23, 2019 ahead of the commission’s January 24, 2019 meeting. More than 15 days after those options were submitted, the commission is still deliberating on them.
However, it was noted that at this stage it is not possible for GECOM to facilitate General and Regional Elections by March 21 – the final day of the 90- day period.
In the plan of action presented to the commission, training of polling day staff accounts for 105 of the 148 days.

“At the moment, if elections were to be held, we will have an estimated amount of 2,300 polling stations or there about. Those polling stations would have to be manned by staff, and even if I utilise 20 training teams, their utilisation on the weekend at schools across Guyana will see us taking a minimum of seven to nine weeks to ensure we train in all these regions,” he explained.

Citing Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) as an example, Lowenfield said an entire weekend would be needed to train the 1,035 polling day staff who would be needed to operate the 327 polling stations spread across the district. Over in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice), 2,165 polling day staff would also require training. The secretariat, he stressed, would be required to train thousands of polling day staff in all other regions.

“So for anyone to suggest that the secretariat is moving away, that is the reality. I cannot run an election in part of Guyana. The election is pan-Guyana, Guyana election and these staff members have to be trained,” Lowenfield said.
A polling station without the required staff could result in calls to put the elections on hold over unpreparedness. He said it is important for the secretariat to be fully prepared and equipped for the elections.

The chief elections officer said it is important to note that the training arrangements of the secretariat needs to be in place on or before the 21st day before elections. According to the Laws of Guyana, Notices of Poll must be placed at each polling station 21 days before an election is held.

Outside of the nationwide training, Lowenfield said there are statutory requirements before an election is held. According to the Laws of Guyana, Nomination Day must be held not less than 32 days before elections. Setting of Nomination Day and the sourcing of ballots would be done concurrently with the training exercise. “Once the training requirement is satisfied, satisfied to run a General and Regional Election across Guyana, there is no other shorter way we could use,” he emphasised.

APPROVAL NEEDED
Lowenfield said had the commission granted the secretariat approval to go into operation mode, training could have commenced. He said it would have also seen the acquisition of sensitive materials required for elections, such as the seals and electoral ink.
Weighing in on the matter, the PRO said based on the timelines presented, if the secretariat had commenced operations on February 4, July 1 could have been a possible elections day. Both Ward and Lowenfield have noted that the clock continues to tick. “With that not happening, and there is a delay and the days keep going, then it means that the timeline is shifting further down the line, but the number of days remain the same,” Ward explained.

The politically appointed commissioners sitting on the Elections Commission have not been divided on the issues placed before them. Justice (Ret’d) Patterson could not indicate when the commission will arrive at a decision.
“That is not my ball to call. I am chairman of a commission I can’t initiate and have implemented policy,” he said, while fielding questions from reporters. Patterson said while he may offer a position on a particular matter, the commissioners may or may not agree with it.

“There are people out there who feel that the commissioner has a special power to direct things – what I do is guide,” Justice Patterson said. He declined to address what the stumbling block is preventing the commission from granting the secretariat the approval it needs to operationalise. Maintaining that he only guides the commission, the chairman said all questions concerning the hold up in approval need to be put to the commissioners, he said.