AFTER several attempts by APNU to stall the holding of Local Government Elections, a date for the elections has finally been announced.

The PNC, it should be noted, has never been comfortable with the holding of elections in general, but more particularly Local Government Elections.

During its term in office during the period of rigged elections which spanned a period of 28 years, only once did it hold Local Government Elections, which, like all national elections were massively rigged to ensure its control over local government bodies.

The PNC, which is still to indicate definitively as to whether or not it will contest the elections, has been making all manner of “objections” and shifts in arguments regarding the fairness of the poll.

Its political side-kick and junior partner in the APNU+AFC alliance has already indicated that it will not be contesting the elections on the spurious grounds that the list is “bloated.”

The more likely reason is its anticipated poor performance at the elections especially at this time when the party is losing a significant number of its members and supporters.

Despite the unfounded positions taken by the political opposition, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has already commenced preparations for the holding of Local Government Elections, following the announcement by Minister of Local Government Nigel Dharamlall of June 12, 2023, as the date for the elections.

It will be recalled that the minister had earlier announced March 13, 2023, as the elections date but that date was rescinded following objections raised by the PNC over the demarcation of constituencies and the Voters’ List.

The previous APNU+AFC administration did everything possible during the previous Local Government Elections to gain an electoral advantage through boundary manipulation or what is known as “gerrymandering” tactics.

According to Minister Dharamlall, some of the constituencies were collapsed or in some cases merged to prevent the PPP/C from winning. Measures are now taken to have the situation remedied which will allow better representative democracy at the local level.

According to the minister, in 2018, there were 1,192 councillors across the country in 596 constituencies, which, for the June 2023 elections, could increase to 1,220 and 610 respectively. This alteration of boundaries was done following extensive consultations with communities, National Democratic Councils, government officials and regional stakeholders.

As pointed out by Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., the Elections Act empowers the Minister of Local Government not only to announce the date for elections after being so informed by GECOM of its readiness to conduct the poll, but also to make any adjustment to local government areas if such adjustments are considered necessary to enhance citizen participation and strengthen local democracy.

The importance of local democracy cannot be overemphasised. This is an integral part of democratic governance, something which the PPP/C administration has been taking very seriously.

President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali had earlier called on all Guyanese to work towards renewing efforts to building the local governance system, building and strengthening our communities and building a system that delivers to our people.

According to President Ali, the local government system is an essential part of the country’s governance framework.

As for GECOM, a decision was recently taken to suspend the cycle of continuous registration to facilitate the inclusion of all eligible persons who have registered thus far. The deadline for the Claims and Objections exercise has also been extended in an effort to ensure greater transparency in the elections processes.