GECOM maintains changes to the RLE are legal

Jan 25, 2020 News

The Guyana Elections Commission has refuted statements that the agency believes are being used to discredit its work to ensure its production of a credible Official List of Electors, (OLE) for the conduct of General and Regional Elections 2020.

GECOM PRO Yolanda Ward

A statement issued by Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, outlined that while some are pointing fingers at the Commission, making false accusations of “deliberate ploy to create confusion and mayhem,” the Guyana Elections Commission, (GECOM) is cognizant that their sole intention is to disenfranchise thousands of eligible electors who participated in the House-to-House Registration Exercise.
The PRO noted that regulation 37 of the National Registration (Residents) Regulations Act, Chapter 19:08 provides for the Commissioner of National Registration to make corrections to the Revised List of Electors, (RLE).
It states, “If within the period of twenty-one days after he had certified lists, the Commissioner is satisfied that any entry or omission in any list as revised pursuant to regulation 35 is incorrect through inadvertence in the course of such revision, he shall make or cause to be made the requisite correction to that list and such copy thereof as is open for inspection at any registration office and the Commissioner shall give to the person to whom such correction relates notice thereof, which may be sent by registered post to his last known address.”
Considering the legal provision as outlined above, Ward said GECOM is confident in its system which is vital to ensure that persons who would have had changes done to their addresses, during the House-to-House Registration exercise is in accordance with the law and does not fall outside of the statutory period.
“GECOM has a duty to ensure that the information of all electors is accurately reflected on the Official List of Electors to avoid confusion.
“If that process is not done, electors would be required to travel to their old addresses to vote. As such, those persons would be displaced and disenfranchised which could result in low voter turnout and questionable election results.”
Ward said that the Commission is urging the electorate to be extremely vigilant of the attempts by a few to create confusion, mischief and derail the level of public confidence in GECOM to conduct free, fair, transparent and credible elections. GECOM is working in the best interest of the electors.