Latest update February 6th, 2025 7:27 AM
GECOM meets Opposition on LGE
…as moves underway to prepare voters’ list
Early this week, senior officials of the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP), met with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), to discuss a number of critical issues of concern to the party, relative to the upcoming
GECOM officials meet with representatives of the PPP on the Local Government Elections.
forthcoming Local Government Elections (LGE).
GECOM’ team was led by its Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, along with the Chief Elections+ Officer, Keith Lowenfield, and his senior staff.
The PPP delegation included Clement Rohee, General Secretary and Zulifcar Mustapha, Neend Kumar, Clinton Collymore and Mr. Somwar.
According to GECOM, the concerns of the PPP were competently addressed.
In particular, the Opposition wanted to know about the qualifying date, which has been identified by GECOM as February 29.
PPP also wanted details of the period identified for the conduct of Claims and Objections and the number of persons conducting transfers; the placement of voters within their correct constituency; the accuracy of sketch maps and their descriptions, the voter education exercise; readiness of the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and the ethnicity, gender, racial balance and diversity of persons employed by GECOM.
Meanwhile, the Commission yesterday also disclosed that the Claims and Objections period for the LGE is to commence on Monday.
The exercise is geared to address entries on the Preliminary List of Voters (PLVs) for each of Guyana’s nine Municipalities and 62 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs).
The Claims period of this exercise will end on December 6 while the Objections period ends on December 13.
According to GECOM, the purpose of the exercise is to produce the respective Register of Voters to be used for the conduct of elections under the new system for LGE.
The PLVs have been posted respectively at prominent locations in all of the constituencies, in every Municipality and NDC.
Anyone who will be 18 years old or over by February 29, 2016 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, is eligible to register to vote at the upcoming LGE, GECOM disclosed – providing he or she resides in a Municipality or NDC.
The LGE has been a burning issue with the last one held in the 90s.
With many of the Municipalities and NDCs in tatters, the country has come under pressure from especially a number of donor countries to hold the elections which are critical in the Local Government system.
A number of legislative changes have been made to reform the entire Local Government system.
With the PPP losing its first General Elections in May since taking power in 1992, the LGE which is expected after March next year is anticipated to be a tough battle.
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