PNCR unhappy with GECOM response on elections issues
Chairman of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Shurwayne Holder yesterday said that his party received unsatisfactory answers to most of the issues it raised with Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) officials at a meeting on Tuesday,
Holder, who was speaking at the party’s weekly press conference, said the officials included the commission’s chair Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh and Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud and during the meeting the party raised issues such as the Preliminary Voters List (PVL) being more suited for national and not regional elections and concerns about the new gazetted boundaries for local authorities.
Another concern raised, according to Holder, is the fact that less than two weeks before nomination day for the upcoming local government elections there is no voter education and no manager has been appointed for this process.
“There was a lack of response from GECOM, no satisfactory answers were provided,” Holder told reporters.
He said they were told by the officials on several of the issues that they will be raised at the level of the Commission or that they have to investigate at the secretariat. He concluded that GECOM is “woefully unprepared” for the upcoming elections.
The PNCR also alleged that a number of known PPP/C activists are listed as election day staff and this was raised with the commission and a list of names was supplied but again answers were not provided
“The Chair and CEO were unable to provide satisfactory answers to the issues raised. We look forward to hearing from GECOM as soon as possible on these issues,” Holder said.
Last week, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall defended government’s decision to revert to the use of 2016 district boundaries, some of which have been extended, for the upcoming 2023 Local Government Elections (LGE).
He had said that for the 2018 LGE, a total of 14 local authorities were changed by the then A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration.
For better representation, he said, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government had decided to revert to the boundaries used at the polls in 2016. In a few instances, he said some were extended. “…. For LGE we have made some changes which we believe will redound to the benefit of greater, expanded and enhanced community development…We are aware that local democracy is essential to the overall development of our communities and to our people and our country,” Dharamlall had said.
The changes were made last month by Dharamlall via Order No. 44 of 2022 – The Local Democratic Organs (Neighbourhood Democratic Councils) (Amendment) Order 2022, which was gazetted.
According to the minister, the modifications will see an increase in the complement of councillors in local democratic organs in the 80 local authority areas; namely the 70 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and the 10 municipalities.
In 2018, he said there were 1,192 council seats across the country in 596 constituencies, while for the upcoming LGE, there will be 1,220 council seats in 610 constituencies.
Clean voter’s list
Over the past few months the PNCR has been agitating for what it describes as a clean voter’s list and voting-day biometrics. Yesterday in its prepared statement it charged that the use of biometrics at the place of poll is not financially, technologically, nor administratively prohibitive—unlike the claim being made
“Several countries with larger voting populations and geographic areas than Guyana use the technology. Peru, for example, is six times larger than Guyana, with a list of electors of about 20 million. Yet it uses fingerprint biometrics for voting,” the party said.
It stated that the few improvements made by GECOM over the last two decades (such as counting at the place of poll, and the use of fingerprint biometrics for registration) must not be sporadic efforts. Instead, they must reflect an organizational culture that embraces continuous improvement.
Local Government Elections are slated to be held on March 13th 2023 with nomination day being December 12th.