Renewal of GECOM CEO‘s contract under consideration months before elections

Dec 04, 2019 News

The contract for Chief Elections Officer, (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission, (GECOM) Keith Lowenfield, is under consideration, months before the elections.

GECOM CEO Keith Lowenfield

Government-appointed Commissioner, Vincent Alexander, told reporters outside of GECOM Head Office in Kingston, yesterday, that Lowenfield’s contract was scheduled to expire in March 2020, the same month elections are supposed to be held. Alexander said that Lowenfield was also scheduled to proceed on leave prior to the end of his contract.
“He is required to take all of his leave before the end of the contract. He has some outstanding leave for which he had applied but a decision was taken to pay him so that he stays on the job.”
He stressed that due to the central role of the CEO in holding of elections, GECOM could not afford to allow Lowenfield to proceed on leave at this time.
He said, too, that the decision on renewal of Lowenfield’s contract should be made within the next two weeks.
“That is currently under consideration.”
The role of the Chief Elections Officer is to act as a primary point of contact to the staff members of the Secretariat, whose activities include the registration of registrants; the distribution of ID Cards; the provision of information and guidance on electoral operational matters to community organisations and other stakeholders.
In 2013, GECOM started considerations to issue the former Chief Elections Officer, Gocool Boodoo, with a new contract, but there were objections from some of the Commissioners.
Lowenfield who joined GECOM in 2001 as the Logistics Manager and was appointed in 2004 as the Deputy CEO was chosen to replace Boodoo instead.
Lowenfield’s tenure as Chief Elections Officer was said to be non-controversial and properly administered elections.
Boodoo had later moved to the court to block a decision by the Commission not to renew his contract, but the matter was thrown out.