–‘irresponsibly’ ‘throws out’ revised work plan which seeks to postpone elections to April 2023 to facilitate preparatory work, Rohee says

THE A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) continues to use every opportunity to frustrate the preparatory process and create stumbling blocks to the hosting of the Local Government Elections (LGEs), according to People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)-nominated GECOM Commissioner, Clement Rohee.

Rohee, in a statement on his Facebook page, said: “The opposition commissioners have, once again, irresponsibly thrown out a revised GECOM work plan presented to a statutory meeting of the Commission held on Tuesday December 13, 2022. The plan concedes the postponement of Local Government Elections by approximately one month with the likelihood of it to be held in April 2023 provided a date is named by the Minister of Local Government [Nigel Dharamlall].”

The new work plan was created following the submission of a proposal by the Chief Election Officer, Vishnu Persaud, to the Commission, to conduct an exercise to correct the Registers of Voters (ROVs) for Local Government Elections under Section 24A of the Local Authorities (Elections) Act, Chapter 28:03,” the GECOM statement said.

According to Rohee, the postponement of LGEs, which the PPP/C has agreed to, will accommodate a new claims and objections period and the extraction of a voters’ list that will reflect the correct placement of electors at their place of residence in their respective constituencies.

Regarding constituencies, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, had announced that several local authorities have officially been reverted to their 2016 constituency boundaries to foster better representation in those areas.

He related that the government has been steadfastly working over the last two years to prepare for LGEs.

According to the minister, with the LGE initially set for March 13, 2023, changes were made, and those are expected to contribute to the maintenance of democracy at the local government level.

“Notwithstanding convincing evidence presented by PPP/C sponsored commissioners and the dismissal by the Court in November 2018 in a matter questioning the minister’s authority in respect to the demarcation of constituency boundaries, opposition commissioners have consistently and shamelessly questioned the powers of the Minister of Local Government to demarcate/establish boundaries of constituencies within local authority areas. (LAAS).

“Moreover, with the establishment of new constituencies, it is to be recalled that the Minister of Local Government held consultations with residents in the newly established LAA’s,” Rohee said.

Further, Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, had said that the claim of the political opposition that Dharamlall cannot demarcate boundaries of local authority areas, is untrue, and goes against a similar action taken by Ronald Bulkan when he was Communities Minister under the former APNU+AFC administration.

Dr. Jagdeo maintained that Minister Dharamlall legally has the power to set boundaries of the local authority areas, which include neighbourhood democratic councils (NDCs), towns and cities.