THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will meet on Tuesday for deliberation after successfully completing interviews for Chief Elections Officer on Monday afternoon.

It is expected that after Tuesday’s statutory meeting, a report will at some point be submitted to GECOM Chairman Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh. The two candidates, Vishnu Persaud and Leslie Harrow were interviewed virtually between 13:00hrs and 16:25hrs.

GECOM Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Bibi Shaddick confirmed this. According to Shaddick, the evaluation criteria for some commissioners focused on academic qualifications, but other criteria were explored including training, professional qualifications and knowledge of Guyana’s electoral system including applicable laws.

The Guyana Chronicle recently reported recently on the shortlisting of the two candidates. Commissioner Shaddick said Harrow was questioned on a recent imbroglio involving his placement at the country’s disaster management agency after he was seconded for six months from his substantive position in the electoral office of Jamaica.

Harrow served as director-general of the disaster management agency and opted not to renew his secondment after the six months, thus returning to the electoral body.

The Jamaica media carried headlines that Harrow resigned from the position of director-general because of the treatment he received while working at the body and also because he reportedly did not appreciate the political directives handed to him.

Harrow has since denied the allegations made by the Jamaica Observer and Jamaica Gleaner newspapers. In a letter sent by Harrow and published by the Observer, Harrow wrote: “I came to the agency on November 1, 2020, on a six-month secondment [sic] from my substantive position at the Electoral Office of Jamaica, with an option to seek an extension at the end of that period.

“This period ended on April 30, 2021, and I wish to state publicly that my decision to return to the EOJ has nothing to do with any unhappiness with or interference from the minister, ministry or the agency, as is being implied and stated in media reports. I had and still have a cordial relationship with the honourable minister [of local government] and the permanent secretary and, indeed, other members of the ministry.”

The Jamaica media, however, maintained its position, citing a reliable confidential source connected to the government of Jamaica.

While Harrow remains on the job at Jamaica’s electoral body, Commissioner Shaddick said he understands the urgency of the placement and if he were successful, he would be prepared to be in Guyana by the end of December as his superiors have been notified of his interest in the senior election position for Guyana.

Now that the interviews for chief election officer have been completed, GECOM moves closer to filling a number of vacancies at the body following a massive overhaul of its operations resulting from the prolonged General and Regional Elections in 2020, which saw three former top elections officials being hauled before the courts for electoral fraud.