-file to be submitted to DPP

GUYANA Elections Commission (GECOM) Chief Election Officer (CEO), Vishnu Persaud, provided an update on Monday regarding a discrepancy in the Revised List of Electors (RLE).

At a press conference, Persaud provided information on the police investigation, stating that law enforcement officials had been called in and that statements had been collected from all concerned persons. He noted that it was unclear whether the imposter was among those questioned.

The CEO added, “The detective told me that they are at the stage of submitting a report to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.”

The RLE was made available for public scrutiny until July 29, 2025, at two prominent locations in each registration division and sub-division, as well as on GECOM’s website.”

This allowed stakeholders the opportunity to check for accuracy, and GECOM welcomed the identification of the discrepancy as part of its statutory mandate.

The commission noted that the irregularity involved an unlawful registration transaction, which came to light during the prescribed 21-day period for public display of the RLE.

According to GECOM, an internal investigation by the secretariat revealed that the issue arose because of non-compliance with established procedures at one of the registration offices.

Specifically, a random person had applied for a replacement ID card and a change of address using the particulars of a genuine registrant/elector.

Upon discovering that a legitimate registrant’s records had been altered without their involvement, Persaud instructed that the unlawful transactions be reversed.

The replacement ID card that had been prepared remains in the commission’s possession and is set to be destroyed. In-person discussions with the registration officials involved revealed two key issues: first, a breach of standard operating procedures throughout the registration system, and second, that the staff who interacted with the person making the application could not provide logical explanations for their actions. As a result, the police were invited to investigate whether the conduct constituted a criminal offence.

GECOM publicly acknowledged that two erroneous transactions occurred at one registration office and assured all stakeholders, particularly the affected registrant, that these errors would not have occurred had proper procedures been followed.

The commission has also done an internal review to prevent a recurrence.
GECOM has reiterated its commitment to maintaining robust mechanisms to guard against errors, stating that the commission remains dedicated to ensuring that all operations are transparent, credible, free, and fair and upholding the principles of integrity and democracy.