CHIEF Elections Officer (CEO), Vishnu Persaud has rejected recent statements by the Guyana Election Commission’s (GECOM)’s Legal Officer, Kurt Da Silva, during a court hearing.
Da Silva, during the proceedings, suggested individual lists and ballot papers for the General and Regional Elections.

Persaud, however, related that these comments were made without his approval and contrary to his instructions and procedures of the Commission.
The CEO emphasised that the Legal Officer’s statements were not only unauthorised but also inconsistent with the ongoing court case. Such inconsistency has caused potential confusion and misrepresentation of preparations for the upcoming elections.

Persaud reiterated that the Legal Officer’s statements were inconsistent with his own affidavit as a respondent in the court case, further emphasising that the statements were unauthorised.
Generally, Guyana used combined lists of electors and ballots for Regional and General Elections, a procedure continued up to the 2020 elections.

No discussion at all has taken place within the Commission or amongst the stakeholders for altering the mode by using multiple ballots or multiple lists of electors.
The effects of the Legal Officer’s statements are extensive, since they create voter, political parties, and international observers’ confusion, which may threaten the election process.

To clarify the issue and minimise the confusion, the CEO has explicitly stated that the Legal Officer’s statements do not represent his orders or the position of the Commission.
He said that he hopes all those stakeholders will see these statements as an exception and not an indicator of the official position or preparation of the Commission for the upcoming elections.

This clarification is extremely significant in ensuring that the electoral process is transparent and credible, with all stakeholders being in harmony with the true policies and procedures of the Commission.