..PNCR welcomes GECOM’s move to house-to-house registration

THE People National Congress Reform (PNC/R) on Friday, said a voters list would be subject to “massive voter fraud” without house-to-house registration, and charged that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) was “living in fear” of a clean list and credible elections.

Notwithstanding the PPP’s continuous call for elections as soon as possible, the party has openly stated that it is not in support of house-to-house registration, even though the process would be necessary to create a new Official List of Electors for elections, since the last voters list expired in April 2019.

The current list is said to contain the names of thousands of Guyanese who are either deceased or have migrated, while also disenfranchising younger Guyanese who would have since attained the age of 18 years, and are eligible to vote at elections, since the last list was compiled in 2012.

“Irfaan Ali and the PPP want to force an election on a list that is not only expired, but also is bloated, with as many as 200,000 names of people who are not eligible. This makes the list susceptible to massive voter fraud. The list the PPP is insisting that we use blocks thousands of young Guyanese the opportunity to vote. This is a dishonest list that can lead to a dishonest outcome, and this is why the PPP is so desperate to use it,” charged Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, as he read a press statement by the PNC.

“Irfaan Ali and the PPP are actively campaigning against house-to-house registration. They live in mortal fear of a clean list and by extension fair and credible elections. It should be noted that in 1990 the PPP delayed the elections by two years in order to conduct house-to-house registration.”

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was scheduled to hold a meeting on Friday, to confirm whether the electoral body will go ahead with its planned house-to-house registration which had been gazetted to start on Saturday.

A publication in the Official Gazette dated June 11, 2019 shows that an order was documented for the registration exercise to commence on July 20 and end on October 20, 2019. GECOM also issued a statement on Friday confirming that new registration will commence today. It is expected that elections would therefore be held after this date, something the PPP is not in agreement with, they are calling for elections in September.

However, Bulkan emphasised that President David Granger, remains the only one in authority to call elections, and maintained that the President would only do so based on the advice of GECOM. “The legal and constitutional authority in relation to the dissolution of the National Assembly and the setting of a date for the general elections lies with the President. The President says he is committed to the earliest general elections, but he can only take those actions following the advice of GECOM. He has to be advised on when GECOM is in a position to hold the earliest possible elections. It therefore places the responsibility with GECOM,” Bulkan noted.

Bulkan declared that the PNC, the largest party within the coalition government, is in support of GECOM’s call to proceed with house-to-house registration to create a new voter’s list. “GECOM concern is to ensure that the Guyanese nation has credible elections. What is the paramount consideration from our opinion it is to have an elections that can be viewed as credible, an elections that the Guyanese people deserve. The remit for the conduct of elections belongs to GECOM and GECOM has stated thus far that in order to ensure credible elections that it is premised on a credible list,” Bulkan said.

Elections became necessary following the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that the no-confidence motion voted on in Parliament on December 21, 2018 was validly passed.

The constitution states that following the passage of a no-confidence motion against the government, elections are to be held no later than 90 days after the passage of the motion. CCJ, the final court of appeal, made it’s ruling on June 18, 2019.

However, while delivering consequential orders earlier this month, the CCJ refrained from putting a date to when elections should be held, emphasising that such powers rest with the President and GECOM, even as they noted that the constitution must be upheld. CCJ President, Justice Adrian Saunders noted, “it would not be right for the court by the issuance of coercive orders or detailed directives to presume to instruct these bodies on how they must act,” and thereby pre-empt their mandate.

Justice Saunders said that it is not the role of the court to establish a date on or by which elections must be held or lay down deadlines or timelines that in principle are the preserve of political actors guided by constitutional imperatives. Bulkan acknowledged that the period between the expiration of the 90 days, and the holding of elections would create a “grey area”, but stressed that the government remains until elections.

“We would be in a grey area following the dates alluded to, but it doesn’t change the fact that the ball essentially starts with GECOM giving advice to the President in relation to when they can conduct elections that can withstand scrutiny,” he said.