Govt. optimistic of mid-November Local Govt. Elections

Apr 27, 2018 News

…says no delays from house-to-house verification – Bulkan

Government believes that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has received sufficient funding and should be ready to hold Local Government Elections (LGE) by mid-November.
Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, told Kaieteur News yesterday that GECOM has received direct funding from Government to the sum of $3.4B, which includes $500M from last year.
“It is our expectations that the elections will be held towards the middle of November, this year, and I believe that GECOM will more properly pronounce on their capacity and readiness. It is the desire of the Administration to which we are firmly committed that the elections are held within the prescribed constitutional time which will be before December 7,” Bulkan stated.

Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan

There have been three local government elections since Guyana gained independence in 1966. The first was held in 1970, then 1994 and 2016. Bulkan explained that when elections are held later this year, it will be the first time in post-colonial history that successive Local Government Elections are held as constitutionally due.
“It will be another historic achievement of this Administration and it is testament to our commitment to ensuring that democratic governance obtains in our country and that the democratic credentials of Local Government Organs are maintained in keeping with our strategic agenda and philosophy to ensure that the decentralized form of Governance becomes a reality,’ Bulkan noted.
Last week, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) rejected calls for house-to-house verification, which came from the governing A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC).
The PPP shared the view that if GECOM undertakes house-to-house verification, it could likely delay the holding of LGE.
Bulkan said this is not expected to be the case. The Minister explained that the call for verification should not be confused with house-to-house registration. A statement from Amna Ally, General Secretary of the People’s National Congress (PNC), had called for fresh house-to-house registration in response to the PPP claims.
According to the PPP, GECOM issued five lists of persons who have died between December 2015, and March 2016. One of the lists is of persons who have died, but whose names are not on the List of Registered Electors.
The PPP said it conducted a review of the list and to its surprise, discovered a significant number of names of persons who have died, which are in fact on the list.
“This list is, therefore, not accurate. As a result, the names of deceased persons will continue to be on the List of Registered Electors,” the PPP stated.
In the circumstances, the PPP called upon GECOM to exercise greater care and due diligence in their attempts to sanitise the list.
According to the PPP, the removal of names of persons who have died, from the List of Registered Electors, is a responsibility of GECOM and is guided by strict laws and rules. The party explained that only on the basis of a certified list of persons who have died, issued by the GRO, can GECOM remove a person’s name.
Ally stated that the Coalition believes in having a sanitized and realistic list of electors, but it noted that the PPP continues to live in the past and reminisces of their ‘ungodly acts in the electoral process.’

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