Gocool Boodoo among 16 applicants for Chief Elections Officer job
Multiple sources at the Elections Commission have confirmed to News Source that Mr. Boodoo, who served as Chief Elections Officer up until 2013, is among sixteen persons who have applied for the top GECOM post.
Eight years after his contract as Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission was not renewed, Gocool Boodoo is hoping to make a return to the Guyana Elections Commission.
Multiple sources at the Elections Commission have confirmed to News Source that Mr. Boodoo, who served as Chief Elections Officer up until 2013, is among sixteen persons who have applied for the top GECOM post.
Boodooβs contract was not renewed in April 2013 following a majority vote of the Commission not to rehire him. He was accused of attempting to declare erroneous results in 2011 which would have given the PPP a majority win although the combined opposition secured more votes.
It was Commissioner Vincent Alexander who drew attention to the issue, which resulted in the PPP leading a minority government and the combined opposition holding the majority in the parliament.
Before that, Boodoo was also accused of a miscalculation of votes in a previous election that gave a Region 10 seat to the PPP, when the seat should have really been given to the Alliance for Change.
Boodoo has always denied any wrongdoing. When he was removed as Chief Elections Officer, he landed a Local Government Consultant job under the PPP Civic administration.
A senior official close to the Elections Commission said it is mind-boggling and offensive that Gocool Boodoo is now seeking a return to GECOM with all that the Commission has found itself dealing with over the past year.
A few months ago, GECOM terminated the contracts of its Chief Elections Officer, his Deputy and the Region 4 Returning Officer after the Government nominated Commissioners tabled a motion to terminate their contracts.
The three officials, Keith Lowenfield, Roxanne Myers, and Clairmont Mingo are currently before the Courts facing various charges of misconduct in public office and allegations of fraud related to last yearβs general elections.
The termination of their contracts triggered a search by the Elections Commission to public vacancies to fill the posts as soon as possible.
The full Commission is expected to meet tomorrow and begin going through the list of persons who have applied for the top GECOM.