THE hosting of Local Government Elections (LGEs) has not evaded the thoughts of stakeholders at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), as this electoral process has served as the basis for a decision by the commission to expedite the hiring of persons to fill key positions in GECOM’s secretariat.
In an invited comment following a meeting among the commissioners on Friday, GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, said the body will take a few days in the coming week to bring finality to the way in which the hiring process is done.
This could include refining the shortlist as well as detailing how the interviewing and evaluation process is to be completed.
The country eagerly awaits the conclusion of this process as LGE hangs in the balance. Gunraj was cautious not to give a projected timeline of when either the hiring process or the elections itself would be concluded.
One potential candidate who spoke on the condition of anonymity said they have not yet been officially notified of the shortlisting, except through media reports.
With there being reports of a variance in opinion between representatives of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) and the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) on the shortlisted candidates as well as the way interviews are done, the unofficial public list of candidates could be further reduced by the time this part of the process is concluded.
The elections commission will decide on the hiring of a Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO), Assistant Chief Election Officer/Assistant Commissioner for National Registration (ACEO/ACNR), Logistics Manager, Chief Accountant, Legal Officer, and Civic and Voter Education Manager.
As it currently stands, the unofficial list of candidates for CEO includes Vishnu Persaud, Aneal Giddings, Eugene Petty, Deodat Persaud, Kurt Clarke, and Leslie Harrow. Contenders for DCEO are Melanie Marshall, Neil Bacchus, Mohamed Arjoon, and Deodat Persaud.
Interested applicants for Assistant Chief Elections Officer/Assistant Commissioner for National Registration (ACEO/ACNR) are Delon Clarke, Noland Jervis, Melanie Marshall, Paul Jaisingh, Mohamed Arjoon, Neil Bacchus, Deolall Ramlall, Deodat Persaud, Natasha Grenion Dipchand, Andrea Sparman, Duarte Hetsberger, and Colin April.
In late September, GECOM met to approve the advertising of key positions of the elections commission’s secretariat, which were made vacant as a result of the massive shake-up following the plethora of challenges experienced during the 2020 general and regional elections.
Several charges have since been laid against former top elections officials.
