PPP’s GECOM strategy continues…

The PPP’s strategy to tie GECOM up in so many meetings that it does not have time to prepare for elections is on track…

PRESS RELEASE

GECOM & PPP continue discussions on pertinent election issues

GECOM, Georgetown, January 20, 2015 – The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is satisfied with the responses provided by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) during a meeting on Monday January 19, 2015, during discussions on a number predetermined issues pertaining to preparations for and the conduct of impending General and Regional Elections.

This meeting was arranged by GECOM on the heels of a previous one (Monday, January 12, 2015) to continue the discussions on outstanding matters of concern to the PPP.

The following is a synopsized representation of the discussions, on the more salient issues, which took place during the meeting:-

1. The PPP requested that Party Agents be allowed to monitor all stages of packing, sealing and transporting of ballot boxes before Election Day, and opening of the boxes on Election Day, by GECOM personnel. In this regard, Mr. Keith Lowenfield, Chief Election Officer (CEO), assured the Party Representatives at the meeting, that the involvement of Party Agents, as desired by political parties, is the standard operating procedure at GECOM. Pointing out that there will be no departure from this procedure in the upcoming elections, the CEO emphasized that the Party Agents would have to be properly accredited, before they would be allowed to participate in the process.

2. The PPP was concerned that the law authorizes the Returning Officer for each of the ten Electoral Districts to declare the results of the elections for his/her District and that the CEO is not empowered to make changes to the declarations. Whereas the understanding of the Party was acknowledged, the Party’s representatives were assured that the law also provides for the Returning Officers to consult on their relevant/respective tabulations with the CEO before making declarations. Accordingly, the CEO is vested with the responsibility to confirm that the tabulations before the respective declarations are made at the District level.

3. The PPP expressed the concern that, at the 2011 General and Regional Elections, proxies were issued to persons who did not meet the eligibility criteria as provided for in law. Representatives of the Party proffered a few examples of such occurrences. In this regard the Party asked that GECOM review the procedure relative to treating with applications for proxies. While advising that a few occurrences should not be interpreted as the norm, the Commission gave the undertaking to review the existing procedure with the view to developing an even more secure methodology to treat with applications for proxies.

4. The Party was concerned about the practice of all Polling Stations within a Polling Place being provided with copies of the combined alpha-split Lists of Electors pertinent to that Polling Place, and that this could lead to electors voting at more than one Poling Station, since his/her name would be listed in all of the relevant Polling Stations. The Commission gave the assurance that it had already dealt with this issue and had decided that each Polling Station will be provided with alpha-split List of Electors who would be voting at the respective Polling Stations. This issue is relevant only to Polling Places with more than one Polling Stations.

5. The PPP supported the call by other Stakeholders for earlier declaration of the results of the elections, and proffered that the establishment and maintenance of a proper communication network would contribute positively to such an outcome, especially as this relates to the transmission of results from remote hinterland communities. The Chairman responded that, whereas GECOM is committed to declaring the results of the Elections as soon as possible, the Commission would not sacrifice accuracy upon the altar of expediency, while reminding that the framers of the Law (Section 99 of The Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:3) in their wisdom allocated 15 days for GECOM to relay the official results. The Chairman made the point that while it is relatively easy to count a small number of votes or to correct an inaccuracy in a constituency of say 20,000 voters within the first-past-the-post system, the entire Guyana at General and Regional Elections is one huge Constituency of hundreds of thousands of voters. No discovered error can be perpetuated; it has to be rectified before the final correct announcement can be made.

6. The PPP repeated its request, which was made at the earlier meeting, for GECOM to publish the names of persons to be employed by the Commission to work for the upcoming elections. The Commission gave no indication that it would respond positively to this request.

The GECOM team at the meeting comprised, Dr. Surujbally, Commissioners Dr. Keshav Mangal, Mr. Vincent Alexander, Ms. Sandra Jones, Mr. Charles Corbin, Mr. Mohamood Shaw and Mr. Athmaram Mangar, and Chief Election Officer, Mr. Keith Lowenfield, Deputy Chief Election Officer, Mr. Vishnu Persaud, and the Commission’s Legal Officer, Ms. Juanita Barker.

The PPP team was led by its General Secretary, Mr. Clement Rohee and included Mr. Zulficar Mustapha, Mr. Ganga Persaud, Mr. Manzoor Nadir, Mr. Juan Edghill, Ms. Sheila Versammy and Mr. Devanand Ramdatt.