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Chief Elections Officer to brief Commissioners tomorrow on readiness for polls
Guyana could know as early as tomorrow when General and Regional Elections are to be held.
Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, is expected to brief the six commissioners and the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) at 9am tomorrow.
According to Commissioner for the Opposition’s People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Robeson Benn, the CEO has been told to brief the commissioners on his work plan, including on his need for more money, resources, staffers and training.
Speaking with Kaieteur News earlier, GECOM’s spokesperson, Yolanda Ward, confirmed that Chairman, Justice (Ret’d), James Patterson returned to work yesterday after more than six weeks on sick leave. He met hours later with commissioners for the weekly statutory meeting.
The CEO was told to provide a report on the possible options for elections and what will be required for elections to be held in the shortest possible time.
According to Ward, based on that briefing, the Commission will then determine a date for a meeting with the Chief Whips, representing both Government and Opposition, to brief them on the likely date.
Meanwhile, Benn, a former Public Works Minister for the PPP, said that it was pointed out that the life of the current list of electors expires on April 30th, a chief constraint for the holding of elections.
During the meeting yesterday, it was disclosed that Chief Parliamentary Whip for the Government, Amna Ally had written GECOM on January 10th asking for meeting to discuss the readiness of the entity for elections.
The GECOM chairman, commissioners were told, replied on January 14th to Ally informing her that a meeting would soon be convened on the readiness.
Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield
The issue of early elections was thrust into the spotlight on December 21st when a Government parliamentarian, Charrandass Persaud, voted yes in a no-confidence motion tabled by the Opposition.
In doing so, Persaud’s lone vote caused the one-seat majority Government to fall.
It was the first time that Parliament had experienced a no-confidence vote being tabled and carried.
Persaud after that vote, invoked his right as a Canadian citizen and sought the protection of the Canadian High Commission that same night. He flew out the next morning to Canada.
Government has gone to the courts challenging the legality of the vote by virtue of the fact that Persaud, who has since been expelled by his party, the Alliance For Change, had dual citizenship, a no-no under the Constitution of Guyana.
However, the Opposition is insisting that the vote is legal.
On Saturday, the People’s Progressive Party named Irfaan Ali, a former Housing Minister, as its presidential candidate.
Under the laws, a no-confidence vote is supposed to see elections called within three months of that vote.
A decision by the High Court that Persaud’s vote was illegal because of his dual citizenship could see the current discussions of early polls being thrown out of the window.
However, it would also raise a legal dilemma, as there are parliamentarians on both sides of the House who have dual citizenship.
The Government and Opposition, during a meeting at the Ministry of the Presidency to discuss the fallout of the no-confidence vote, had agreed to send the two parliamentary Chief Whips to GECOM to find out about the entity’s readiness.
GECOM has six commissioners, excluding the Chairman. Three commissioners are nominated by the Government and three from the Opposition.
GECOM is an independent entity tasked with overseeing General, Regional and Local Government Elections.
The positions are jealously guarded by political parties, with the Chairman’s post being something of a hot-seat.
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