No major decisions on early polls until January 8

No major decisions on early polls until January 8 – GECOM

Dec 28, 2018 News

With focus on the holding of early general elections, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has not advanced a timeline for crucial meetings of its Commissioners who will decide critical issues relating to the conduct of the polls.
Earlier this month, GECOM Chairman Justice James Patterson (ret’d) indicated to the Commissioners a planned meeting on January 8, 2019. This was before the passage of the historic No-confidence motion a week ago in Parliament that forced General Elections within three months.
Despite the many issues relating to the conduct of early elections, it appears that there is no shift in the date for the Commissioners to meet.
The next meeting of Commissioners has been scheduled for January 8, 2019 according to GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Warde. Asked about House-to-House registration which was included in the Commisison’s work plan for 2019, Warde said` that the Commissioners will have to decide on this matter.
“These are decisions for the Commission. I do not want to say what is likely or unlikely, but with the dynamic that has happened on Friday. I am not sure that some things will progress, but again it comes back to what happens at the level of the Commission.
“It is for the Commission to decide how the work programme will go in light of the new developments,” Warde explained.
Addressing GECOM’s preparedness, Warde said that regardless if elections are within the five-year or 90-day timeframe, the agency has to deliver because it is constitutionally mandated to do so.
Warde explained that there are Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) which are activated; however, only when there is a specific timeline will GECOM move into full operation mode.
“It is too soon to give specificity in terms of the actual roll out of the plan because there may be some things at the executive level that are still being examined.
“We have had some amount of discussion operationally, but not too extensive on that front. Decisions have to be taken at the level of the Commission. We are really still to work out quite a bit.
“From the policy level, much of what needs to happen and filter down has to happen at the level of the Commission,” Warde stated.
Government has provided GECOM with $5.4B in 2019, $3B of which is earmarked to be spent in 2019 for the preparation of the polls which were previously due in 2020.
There are already concerns about the health of GECOM’s Chairman, Justice (ret’d) James Patterson. Several meetings following the holding of Local Government Elections (LGE) on November 12 have not been held. This has sparked criticisms of GECOM.
“I understand the public’s concerns. For us here at GECOM, the Chairman is out of hospital and his condition is listed as stable. He has been recovering very well,” Warde said.
The vote on the no confidence motion in the National Assembly came as a shocker to many.
Alliance For Change (AFC) member, Charrandass Persaud, voted with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) on the no confidence motion, a move that forced the collapse of the Coalition Government and early General Elections.
Persaud’s vote gave the PPP/C a 33-32 majority at the end of a fiery debate and a tense voting process.
This is the first time that a Guyana Government has agreed to debate a no confidence motion and it is also the first time the Government has lost such a vote.

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