-GECOM announces

IN a Local Authority Area (LAA) where only one list of candidates has been approved, the persons whose names appear on the list shall be deemed to have been elected as councillors due to the approved list being unopposed, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) said on Friday.

In a press release, GECOM explained that under those circumstances, the candidates in the unopposed list “shall be declared the winner of the election,” as is stipulated in section 54 of the Local Authorities (Elections) Act.

GECOM used the opportunity to inform all stakeholders that there are 13 LAAs with a combined total of 98 constituencies, and 193 additional constituencies from among other LAAs in which there will be no need for eligible persons to vote due to the existence of unopposed lists.

The existence of an unopposed list of candidates for a LAA/Constituency effectively means that there is no need for the electors to vote and therefore, there is no need for the establishment of polling stations in such LAAs/Constituencies.

Recognising that voters may not be aware of whether the LAA/Constituency in which they are registered to vote would have been affected by an unopposed list, GECOM said that it has posted these lists on its website, so that eligible persons can check to ascertain whether elections would be held in their areas of residence.

Also, persons may visit the office of the returning officer for the municipality or Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) in which they reside, to find out whether voting will take place therein.

Additionally, GECOM, as a component of its civic and voter education strategy, will make a public announcement and distribute appropriate literature in all of the affected LAAs/Constituencies to ensure that the relevant voters are made aware of why they are not required to vote at the June 12 Local Government Elections.