Local Govt. Elections officially postponed

Dec 10, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – The holding of Local Government Elections (LGE) has been officially postponed. According to a Gazetted Order, which was signed by the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, the decision to gazette the postponement of the LGE is in keeping with the Local Authorities Elections Act.

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall.

The information outlines that, although the law stipulates the holding of the LGE between specified periods this year, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has advised against it.
In respect to the Local Authorities Elections, the order detailed that the LGE is prescribed to be held during the period of November 1 and December 7, this year.
However, the information specified that the Minister, being satisfied on the advice of the elections commission, was of the position that it is impracticable to comply with the provisions of the Local Authorities Elections Act. This is relative to the date for the holding of an election to elect members of a local democratic organ and, hence, ordered that Local Government Elections for 2021 be postponed until a date to be specified in a subsequent order.
In this regard, the order stipulates that “Every person who is a councilor including the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the Chairman or Deputy Chairman during this prescribed period for the holding of elections shall continue in and discharge the functions of his office until his successor enters on the duties of this office.”
The order further stipulates that all acts, done or purported to be done by such local democratic organ and the members including “the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor , the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman thereof who continue in office in consequence of provisions of this order shall be deemed to be lawfully and validly done and every such local democratic organ and members thereof, including the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor, the Chairman and Deputy Chairman shall be discharged and indemnified against all persons from all legal proceedings in respect of or consequent on such acts.”
The order comes as GECOM continues its search for top electoral officials and makes key preparations to get the process underway.
Opposition-nominated GECOM commissioner, Vincent Alexander was quoted recently in another section of the media as saying that the local government polls, which were scheduled for before the end of this year will likely not be held before the fourth quarter of 2022.
He noted that “it is virtually impossible” for GECOM to host LGE when it is due since its former CEO Keith Lowenfield and DCEO Roxanne Myers, who are before a City Magistrate’s Court on various charges of misconduct during the 2020 general elections, were terminated by the vote of a majority of the Commission.
“The Minister [of Local Government and Regional Development] has to inform us [of] the date for the elections and for us to work towards that date. We may have done preparatory works — we should normally do preparatory work because we know the elections are to be called between November and December. Since the CEO left, nothing was done in preparation and as far as I know, we have not heard anything from the Minister, so it is virtually impossible for GECOM to be ready for the election at the end of November into December. So it is now a matter for the Minister and Parliament to determine,” Alexander had explained.

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