-APNU+AFC commissioners refuse to participate in voting process

BY way of a majority vote, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), on Tuesday, approved the work plan for the conduct of Local Government Elections (LGEs).

Guyana Chronicle understands that the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) commissioners opted to withhold their votes. However, it was the decisive vote of GECOM Chairman, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh that paved the way for the approval of the work plan.

The secretariat will now proceed with the full implementation of the relevant statutory and administrative activities to ensure the successful conduct of the elections in the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs) countrywide.

In a release, GECOM said that its Secretariat will immediately move to roll out a robust civic and voter education programme, appoint electoral registrars and assistant electoral registrars, and extract the Preliminary List of Voters (PLV).

These activities are directly linked to the preparation of registers of voters for each of the 80 Local Authority Areas.

“Preparation for the conduct of Local Government Elections commenced in 2022.

“In this regard, the GECOM Secretariat had already completed the training of management and polling day staff for all of the Local Authority Areas, and the receipt of applications for and approval of symbols submitted by political parties, voluntary groups and individuals who intend to contest in the elections,” the release said.

Following Tuesday’s statutory meeting, People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) commissioner Sase Gunraj told reporters that the three APNU+AFC-nominated commissioners: Vincent Alexander, Desmond Trotman and Charles Corbin, withheld their vote for the LGE work plan.

“… We’ve had issues in relation to the support of the commissioners, even after the work plan was interrogated by opposition commissioners, and, even after what I believe to be all the queries raised by them in relation to the work plan, they opted not to vote, either in favour of or against the work plan,” Gunraj told reporters.

With the “major issues” being dealt with on Tuesday, the GECOM chairman will notify Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, of the commission’s readiness by mid-March 2023.

Minister Dharamlall will then decide and announce the date for the LGE.

LGE was legally due in 2021 and funds were budgeted to facilitate this; however, several issues facing GECOM at the time prevented the holding of the elections, including the non-appointment of a chief election officer (CEO).

The LGE could not be held in the absence of a CEO, a position which was later filled by Vishnu Persaud.

Last October, Minister Dharamlall wrote Justice Singh, informing her of the date for LGE.

As part of the government’s commitment, some $2.9 billion has been allocated to GECOM for preparatory works to ensure the successful planning and execution of the elections.

Later, Nomination Day was set for December 12, 2022. This, however, had to be pushed back by GECOM for the hosting of another round of “claims and objections” for a new register of voters to be produced.

The continuous registration exercise is scheduled to conclude on May 31, 2023. This will affect the holding of the elections which was initially set for March 13, 2023.