Contentious house-to-house registration to kick off today
-poll preparations to begin simultaneously
House-to-house registration, which the APNU+AFC government insists is necessary for holding credible elections but which the opposition PPP says would be in contravention of the Constitution, is set to begin today.
This was officially announced yesterday by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), which said that while it is undertaking the registration exercise, concurrent operational activities for the preparation of general and regional elections are also underway.
The PNCR, the main constituent of the governing coalition, has welcomed the exercise while the PPP called the exercise illegal and urged that GECOM prepare for general and regional elections instead. The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) recently ruled that a December 21, 2018 noconfidence motion against the APNU+AFC government was valid, and that the clear provisions of Article 106 of the Constitution immediately became engaged.
Article 106 (6) says Cabinet, including the President, shall resign if the government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence. Article 106 (7) adds, “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the elections.”
The ruling has bolstered calls by the opposition for polls to be held by September 18th three months from the date of the CCJ’s ruling—while government has maintained its call for registration to be held before the polls. An ongoing joint process to appoint a Chairperson of GECOM is yet to bear fruit. Government has said the appointment of a chairperson is pivotal to the holding of the polls.
Breaking its silence on its decision to proceed with the registration exercise, GECOM said that the countrywide house-to-house exercise is in keeping with a decision of the commission on February 19th, 2019 and in accordance with Order No. 25 of 2019, dated June 11th, 2019. “Registration is a legal requirement according to the National Registration Act, Chapter 19:08 and therefore all eligible persons are mandated to register. House-to-House registration is a new registration exercise and therefore all eligible persons must register even if they were previously registered,” the statement said.
It further explained that upon conclusion of the exercise, a new National Register of Registrants Database, which is reflective of the current Guyanese population, will be created, from which an Official List of Electors will be extracted for the purpose of conducting general and regional elections.
Nearly simultaneously with the statement, GECOM issued a vacancy notice for polling day staff. Interested persons were asked to apply for the posts of Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers, Poll Clerks, Ballot Clerks/Counting Assistants and Information Clerks on or before August 1st, 2019.
It is not clear how GECOM’s small core staff will manage both processes simultaneously as the house-to-house registration process is expected to continue at least until October 20th, with thousands of staff currently being primed to take to communities across the country.
Stabroek News was able to observe hundreds of staff previously trained by GECOM being assigned various positions within the Georgetown municipality during a meeting at the West Ruimveldt Secondary yesterday afternoon, which swelled beyond the capacity of the classroom in which it was held.
Individuals who turned up for the event said they received letters and phone calls inviting them to be present for 3pm but the meeting did not begin until after 4pm.
Stabroek News has been told that following a request from Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, GECOM’s inhouse lawyer, Excellence Dazzell, submitted an opinion that argued that any action which contravenes the judgment amounts to contempt of court. While an updated electors’ list is necessary
for new elections, as the previous listed expired at the end of April, the attorney has advised that the updating must be achieved by the swiftest means possible, which would be through a limited claims and objections period.
The opinion is said to also warn that a rushed houseto-house exercise could have grave repercussions for the accuracy of the list and therefore that the process be halted.
“They are embarking on a process which they know will not end with elections being held in three months, so clearly Lowenfield is in contempt of court,” Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo told a press conference yesterday.
He noted that this position has been communicated to Lowenfield.
GECOM has reminded that for the purpose of this exercise, each eligible person will only be registered where they reside, whether at homes or residential institutions, such as hospices and homes for youth and the elderly.
“Registration will not be done at GECOM Registration Offices,” the statement said, while adding that Guyanese citizens by birth, descent, naturalisation or registration who are 14 years and older by October 31st, 2019, or a citizen of a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for a period of no less than one year preceding the qualifying date are all eligible for registration.
Residents are therefore urged to have the relevant documents, such as an original birth certificate, a valid passport, naturalisation certificate, certificate of registration, adoption certificate and deed poll or marriage certificate (if applicable) ready and to be on the lookout for GECOM’s registration officials in their area.