In wake of recent decisions made by Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice Claudette Singh, the elections body’s technical team is currently working to provide what appears to be new timelines to the Commission.
GECOM’s work schedule had initially catered for an extensive house-to-house registration. However, that exercise will come to an end tomorrow at the behest of Justice Singh. The already-garnered data would then be added to the National Register of Registrants Database (NRRDB).
Justice Singh made this disclosure when she met with the Private Sector Commission (PSC) yesterday to update the corporate bloc on GECOM’s state of readiness for the upcoming General and Regional Elections.
In a joint statement to the media earlier today, Justice Singh said that “based on her decisions taken at the last statutory meeting, the technical team is working to provide timelines to the Commission.”
The meeting was held in response to a request by the PSC to meet with the newly appointed GECOM Chairperson. During the two-hour meeting, which was held in GECOM’s Boardroom, PSC Chairman Gerald Gouveia explained that there has been a fruitful relationship between the two agencies for more than 15 years.
He outlined some of the specific areas of collaboration, in particular, the PSC’s role as accredited observers during elections, and he expressed an interest in continued support and collaboration.
However, the meeting focused extensively on the GECOM’s state of preparedness for the holding of elections in light of the constitutional deadline, the CCJ’s ruling on the no-confidence motion, and the recent ruling of Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire on house-to-house registration.
Specifically, the PSC expressed concerns as it relates to what was referred to as ‘the possible lengthy duration to merge the National Register of Registrant Databases (NRRDBs).”
In response to the concerns raised, Justice Singh explained that in her capacity as GECOM’s Chairperson she will be doing everything possible within her remit to ensure that the rulings of the Court are honoured and the elections are held within the shortest possible time.
Also present at the meeting was Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield who provided details on the Secretariat’s operational activities.
Upon conclusion of the meeting, the PSC submitted a letter requesting accreditation to observe the upcoming general and regional elections and pledged continued support and collaboration with the Commission.
GECOM said it remains committed to engaging stakeholders as it works assiduously to ensure a credible list is established and elections are held within the shortest possible time.
