ATTORNEY-GENERAL Anil Nandlall, S.C., on Tuesday challenged associates of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) to show the public one case of voter impersonation to support claims made.

Directed to commentator Sherwood Lowe and APNU+AFC’s representative at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Vincent Alexander, the AG rubbished the men’s comments as recycled and misleading.

In a published letter on November 19, Alexander made a number of allegations regarding voter impersonation, and claimed that contrary to statements made by the Attorney General, the coalition’s evidence that voter fraud took place shows that safeguards were not properly in place.

The AG responded that Alexander was twisting words to fit a narrative.

On the point of biometrics, Nandlall questioned where Alexander drew the conclusion that he is “fiercely opposed” to biometrics.

“Any able reader would confirm that I wrote not a line in my exchange with Mr Alexander on biometrics of any type. I am therefore at [a] loss in understanding from whence Mr Alexander discerned my ‘fierce opposition’ to the same.

“Mr Alexander well knows that biometrics is a new injection in this discourse, which requires separate treatment as it is outside the scope of this debate,” the AG said in his response letter on Tuesday.

AG Nandlall noted, instead, that the topic of biometrics is new to the conversation and needs to be discussed separately in a different conversation.

“I believe that I have comprehensively addressed and conclusively settled the germane issue of controversy in this exchange, that is, that persons whose names are lawfully on the list cannot be considered ‘bloat’” the AG added.

Background
As it relates to the National Registration (Amendment) Bill, some of the highlighted amendments which were addressed at the recently concluded public consultations included the periodic removal of dead persons from the voter’s list, along with fixed timings for continuous registration.

According to the amendment in Section Six of this Act, the registration of all persons who are qualified to be electors and persons in Guyana of the age of 14 years and over will be done at offices established by GECOM and will be done for a continuous period.

The amendment said that every year the registration of persons who, on June 30 are qualified to be electors shall be continuous from January to May.

Additionally, every year registration of persons who on December 31 are qualified to be electors and all other persons of the age of 14 years and over shall be continuous from July to November.

The cycle will be paused for claims and objections which lasts one month. Once that cycle is completed and the data is sanitised, it then goes to become part of the National List of Registrants.

As it relates to the removal of deceased persons from the voters’ list, it was noted previously and repeatedly that new sections were added as part of the amendments.
This section will see the registrar general, upon the request of the commission, send to the commissioner once every month a list of all persons 14 years and over, whose deaths have been registered in the preceding month.

Further, it added that the registration of any person under this Act whose name is on the list of dead persons sent by the registrar general to the commissioner shall be cancelled.

The commissioner will then prepare a list from this central register for every division comprising names of persons registered in the division that is on the list of dead persons sent by the registrar general, certify the list and have it forwarded to the registration officer of that division.

Subsequently, when due process is followed as prescribed in the Act, once the commissioner is satisfied that the person is dead, the cancellation of their registration shall be directed.