GECOM Commissioner, Vincent Alexander will, on Thursday, present a report on the way forward for the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) elections slated for this Saturday.

This development comes following concerns about the elections process and talks of the possible postponement of the party’s 21st Biennial Congress and the elections.

Notwithstanding the party awaiting the outcome of that report, several of the party members contesting the elections are forging ahead with their preparations for Saturday.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, PNC/R executive member, Ganesh Mahipaul, confirmed that the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) has appointed Alexander as Chief Elections Officer for the elections and has tasked him with presenting a report on the readiness for the elections.

“A motion was passed in the CEC, on Friday, that gives Mr Vincent Alexander a timeline of five days to ascertain the readiness of the party to hold this Congress. He is tasked with presenting a report to the CEC after which we will know definitively our position,” Mahipaul explained in a telephone interview on Tuesday.

He noted that Alexander has been given sweeping authority over the electoral process and pronouncement on the way forward.
“It will be for him to say that he is comfortable with the status of where we are at, that we have done all the necessaries and put all that is required to be put in place for the hosting of the elections.

It is his determination to say the way forward, ensuring that all the necessary things are put in place, and all that he would’ve required of us, we would’ve satisfied before going to the actual polls,” Mahipaul outlined.

Mahipaul noted that he could not say why Alexander was only tasked on Friday with vetting the electoral process and not earlier, or what prompted the need for the report. Mahipaul is one of three members of the elections’ Accreditation Committee, who had recently resigned because of a conflict of interest.

Mahipaul, along with Annette Ferguson and Carol Joseph, were deemed to have conflict of interest given that they are all contesting the elections. With the resignation of the trio, Mortimer Mingo, is now the only member of the Accreditation Committee.
Mahipaul was nominated for the position of Vice-Chairman, Treasurer and CEC member.

He shared that he declined the VC and Treasurer nominations and only accepted the CEC member nominations given that he has been singled out for selection as party General Secretary (GS) by Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon, who is contesting for party leader. The party GS is appointed and not elected.

Harmon is one of seven persons who were elected for the party leadership position with his main competition coming from former GS Aubrey Norton. Other notable nominations for the leadership are Dr. Richard Van-West Charles; former party Chairman, Basil Williams, and party executive, Carl Greenidge.

Former Region 10 Regional Chairman, Sharma Solomon, according to another section of the media is said to have declined a nomination for the leadership, choosing instead to focus on a nomination for Chairman.

Current party Chairman, Volda Lawrence, was also given a nomination for the leadership position but has since been mum on whether or not she would accept. All persons nominated for positions in the party had up to last Friday to accept or decline their nominations.

Of the positions being contested, the party received seven nominations for leadership, 16 nominations for chairman, 30 nominations for the two VC positions, and 18 nominations for treasurer. Additionally, there are over 700 nominations for the 15 CEC member spots.