–Says statements were unauthorised, could mislead public

Chief Election Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Vishnu Persaud, has rejected statements made by GECOM’s Legal Officer during ongoing legal proceedings, clarifying that the submissions were unauthorised and do not reflect the official position of the Commission.

In a press release issued on Thursday, Persaud addressed concerns following a News Source article titled “GECOM’s Counsel sees need for separate lists and ballot paper for General and Regional Elections.” 

However, Persaud strongly stated that these statements purportedly made by GECOM’s attorney, Kurt Da Silva were not instructed by him and are inconsistent with both the Commission’s established electoral procedures and his own affidavit submitted in the case.

The People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) Chief scrutineer, Carol Smith-Joseph had moved to the High Court asking for it to compel the GECOM to conduct a house-to-house verification of the addresses of registrants.

Acting Chief Justice Roxane George is set to hand down her ruling in the case on Friday, March 28.

Now  Persaud has made it clear that GECOM has never discussed or considered the preparation of separate lists of electors or different ballot papers for General and Regional Elections. 

He explained that electoral lists and ballots have been prepared in the same manner for decades, including during the 2020 elections.

“As far as I am aware, no stakeholder has ever canvassed for splitting the ballot, nor for preparing separate lists of electors for the General and Regional Elections,” Persaud explained.

The CEO warned that the Legal Officer’s statements could lead to confusion among voters, political parties, and international observers. 

As such, he reaffirmed GECOM’s commitment to transparency and electoral integrity, noting that any suggestion of altering long-established electoral processes could cause unnecessary uncertainty.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I hereby categorically state that the Legal Officer’s pronouncements do not represent, in any way, my stance or that of the Commission,” Perssud said.