GECOM to commence countrywide claims and objection exercise next week

See the full statemwent from the Guyana Elections Commission below:

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will commence a Claims and Objections Exercise on 22 August 2022 in accordance with Order No. 35 of 2022 made under the National Registration Act, Chapter 19:08 to produce an Official List of Electors (OLE). This exercise will be conducted at all the GECOM permanent Registration Offices in the ten (10) Administrative Regions.

During the Claims and Objections period, any person who will be 18 years and older by the 31st October, 2022, and is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, or naturalization, or is a citizen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, can make a Claim on or before 11th September, 2022 to be included on the OLE, providing that he/she was never previously registered.

Persons desirous of making a Claim to be included in the OLE are required to visit the GECOM Registration Office responsible for their area of residence with the applicable source document(s) such as original Birth Certificate, valid Passport, Adoption Certificate, or Naturalization Certificate / Certificate of Registration to be registered for inclusion.

Existing registrants are advised to check the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) posted at two (2) prominent buildings in their respective Electoral Division / Sub Division, at the Registration Office responsible for their areas of residence, at GECOM’s Head Office or on GECOM’s website at www.gecom.org.gy to verify the accuracy of their registration information. In this regard, persons who are required to update their registration records such as changes or corrections to their names and occupation, or to apply for a transfer in relation to their addresses are advised that those transactions would also be facilitated during this exercise.

The relevant source documents such as an original Marriage Certificate, Deed Poll with Birth Certificate, or a new Birth Certificate reflecting the changes must be presented in the case of an application for a change or correction.

Guyana Elections Commission, 41 High and Cowan Streets, Kingston, Georgetown. | Tel: (592) 225-0277-9|Website: www.gecom.org.gy | Email: pro@gecom.org.gy

Objections against the inclusion of names in the PLE can be tendered to the Registration Officer of the Registration Area from 22nd August, 2022 to 15th September, 2022. Objections can be made by an Elector who is listed in the same Division list / Sub Division list in which the person being objected to is listed.

Objections can also be made by approved Scrutineers of Political Parties provided that any such Scrutineer has monitoring responsibilities for the Division / Sub Division in which the person being objected to is listed.

The relevant original document(s) such as an original Death Certificate must be presented at the time of the hearing to support the basis upon which the objection is made.

The Commission is urging all eligible persons to ensure that they use this opportunity to be registered for inclusion in the Revised List of Electors (RLE) and ultimately the Official List of Electors (OLE) in order to be eligible to vote. Persons are also encouraged to object to the inclusion of the name of any person whom they believe should not be in the list, based on the legal provisions.

Persons who were registered in the recently concluded Cycle of Continuous Registration need not reapply to be registered. For more information and for clarification, persons can visit GECOM’s website at www.gecom.org.gy or call 225-0277-9 / 223-9653.

Congratulations Clement.

Local Government Elections by year-end; GECOM Chair unfazed by APNU+AFC criticism

Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Justice (retired) Claudette Singh and Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud [Photo: Office of the President/ August 16, 2022]

With the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) concluding its continuous registration process and heading to its claims and objects exercise, Local Government Elections (LGE) is expected to be held by year-end.

Assurances were given on Tuesday by Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh who said that the commission is looking at the end of November or early December for the elections to be held.

Justice (Ret’d) Singh was at the time speaking at the sidelines of the swearing-in of the newly appointed commissioner of GECOM, Clement Rohee at the Office of the President in Georgetown.

Responding to claims by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition of a bloated voters’ list, she said the names on the list were legally registered and the claims and objections exercise would allow persons to object to any irregularities.

“If the list is bloated well, we are moving now to claims and objections and people would have a chance to object to who is not supposed to be there,” she said.

When questioned by reporters on criticisms alleging that she appears to make decisions that seem to sideline the opposition, Justice (Ret’d) Singh responded that her decisions are in accordance with the law.

“I am not aware that I do something like that, anything I do, I do in accordance with the law, I try, as a former judge, I always try to uphold the rule of law but there will be criticisms,” she said.

She further explained, “if you sit on the bench and make an adverse decision the party who loses would say you’re biased, you take a bribe whatever but that’s it so there’s always a way you can criticise a decision, that’s up to them.”

The claims and objections exercise will commence on August 22, 2022 and eligible persons can make a claim on or before September 11, 2022 to be included on the official list of electors, providing that they were not previously registered.

Meanwhile, objections against the inclusion of names in the preliminary list of electors can be tendered to the Registration Officer of the registration area from August 22, 2022 to September 15, 2022.

Objections can be made by an elector who is listed in the same division list or sub-division list in which the person being objected to is listed.

Despite the government’s desire to have the LGE before the end of 2021 when it was constitutionally due, the unreadiness of the country’s electoral body had caused the elections to be postponed last year.

A total of $783 million was allocated for LGE and approved by the National Assembly during the consideration of the 2022 Budget Estimates in February this year.

Monies were also allocated in the 2021 Budget for LGE but those elections were not held, as top government officials maintained that issues at GECOM needed to be fixed.

Among the issues was the need for replacements for top GECOM staff including the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield and his Deputy Roxane Myers. Lowenfield and Myers had been fired.

‘I make law-based decisions’- GECOM Chairman in response to Norton

Posted by: Denis Chabrol in Elections, News, Politics Tuesday, 16 August 2022, 12:08 0 Comments -- Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 August 2022, 12:08 by Denis Chabrol -- Source -- https://demerarawaves.com/2022...-response-to-norton/

Chairman of GECOM, Retired Justice Claudette Singh.

Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh on Tuesday dismissed suggestions that she is biased because she votes with the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)-nominated election commissioners.

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton has repeatedly called for her to resign or face unspecified action in order to professionalise that election management authority.

But Justice Singh on Tuesday said all her decisions are in keeping with the law rather than side with PPP-nominated election commissioners  on the seven-member Commission. “I’m not aware that I do something like that. Anything I do, I do in accordance with the law and I try, as a former judge, I always try to uphold the rule of law,” she Saud.

The GECOM Chairman said her decisions in Court and at GECOM would be criticised by those who are dissatisfied. “There will be criticisms. If you sit on the bench and you make an adverse decision,the party who loses would say you are biased, you take a bribe, whatever..so there is always a way you can criticise a decision. That’s up to them!,” she told reporters.

Responding to Mr Norton’s calls for her to resign, she said. “when the time comes I would leave.”

Local Government Elections are due to be held in November, according to GECOM’s work plan.

Why is Claudette being referred to as Chairman and not Chairwoman or just Chair?

Narton is being childish as usual.

I see SN corrected themselves and now referring to her as the Chair.

“I will resign when I am ready” – GECOM chair unfazed by opposition criticism

Aug 17, 2022 News -- Source -- https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...pposition-criticism/

Kaieteur News – Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice Retired Claudette Singh has said that the GECOM is moving swiftly towards Local Government Elections (LGE) in the face of claims by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) of a bloated elections list and calls for her resignation.

Justice (Ret’d) Singh was at the time responding to reporters on the sidelines of the swearing-in of the newly appointed Commissioner of GECOM, Clement Rohee on Tuesday.

In fact, Justice Singh appeared unfazed by the allegations of the Opposition that she favours the Government in her decisions.

GECOM Chair, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh

“I am not aware that I do something like that, anything I do, I do in accordance with the law. I try, as a former judge, I always try to uphold the rule of law but there will be criticisms,” said Justice Singh.

She continued, “if you sit on the bench and make an adverse decision, the party who loses would say you’re biased, you take a bribe whatever but that’s it so there’s always a way you can criticise a decision, that’s up to them.”

The GECOM Chair also responded to claims by the Opposition that the electoral list is bloated and should be used in the elections.

She noted that GECOM is in its continuous registration process and heading to its claims and objections exercise, in anticipation of the Local Government Elections (LGE) which is expected to be held by year-end.

“If the list is bloated, well, we are moving now to claims and objections and people would have a chance to object to who is not supposed to be there,” she said.

She stressed that the names on the list were legally registered and the claims and objections exercise would allow persons to object to any irregularities.

In a statement, GECOM announced that the claims and objections exercise will commence on August 22, 2022 in accordance with Order No. 35 of 2022 made under the National Registration Act, Chapter 19:08, to produce an Official List of Electors (OLE). This exercise will be conducted at all the GECOM permanent Registration Offices in the 10 administrative regions.

During the claims and objections period, any person who will be 18 years and older by the October 31, 2022, and is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, or naturalisation, or is a citizen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, can make a claim on or before September 11, 2022 to be included on the OLE, providing that he/she was never previously registered.

According to the Commission, persons desirous of making a Claim to be included in the OLE are required to visit the GECOM registration office responsible for their area of residence with the applicable source document(s) such as original birth certificate, valid passport, adoption certificate, or naturalisation certificate/certificate of registration to be registered for inclusion.

Existing registrants are advised to check the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) posted at two prominent buildings in their respective electoral division/subdivision, at the registration office responsible for their areas of residence, at GECOM’s Head Office or on GECOM’s website at www.gecom.org.gy to verify the accuracy of their registration information.

In this regard, persons who are required to update their registration records such as changes or corrections to their names and occupation, or to apply for a transfer in relation to their addresses are advised that those transactions would also be facilitated during this exercise.  The relevant source documents such as an original marriage certificate, deed poll with birth certificate, or a new birth certificate reflecting the changes must be presented in the case of an application for a change or correction.