Vishnu Persaud is new Chief Election Officer

Dec 11, 2021 News

– Opposition Commissioners oppose appointment, says they will take legal actions

Kaieteur News – With the endorsement of the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), (Ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh, Vishnu Persaud was yesterday elected as the country’s new Chief Elections Officer (CEO)/ Commissioner of Registration.

New Chief Election Officer (CEO), Vishnu Persaud.

According to a GECOM press release, the newly elected CEO comes with almost two decades of experience working at the entity. Persaud once served as the Public Relations Officer (PRO), and as the Deputy Chief Election Officer (DCEO) for three years, under former Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally – he also acted as CEO on several occasions.
GECOM has been without a CEO since August last, after the commission took a decision to dismiss Keith Lowenfield, who is currently before the court for his involvement in the alleged rigging of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, and events that followed.
Following the advertisement for qualified persons to apply for the vacant position, 17 candidates applied. The process concluded after the seven-member GECOM commission reviewed several applications for the post of which Persaud and Leslie Harrow, former Jamaican Chief Elections Officer were selected from a combined shortlist of persons to be interviewed.
Both men were then interviewed and yesterday, following the deliberation among the commissioners, the three Government nominated commissioners voted for Persaud to be elected as the new CEO, while the Opposition nominated commissioners voted against. This resulted in the Chairperson voting in favor of Persaud, who came out as the superior of the two candidates vying for the post.

Chairperson of the GECOM, Justice Claudette Singh.

The press statement also noted that, Justice Singh justified her reason for endorsing Persaud by having heard the commissioners and having read the endorsement of former Chairman Dr. Surujbally – she is of the view that Persaud has acquired institutional knowledge having been employed with the commission for 17 years.
It was further stated that Justice Singh posited that Persaud is not only knowledgeable with the understanding and management of the work of the CEO’s office, and the operational functions of the Secretariat, but also with the geography of Guyana’s 10 Administrative Regions.
Owing to the reasons highlighted, it was further stated that the GECOM Chair had no hesitation in endorsing Persaud’s appointment, since he has the necessary skills, experience, and expertise that makes him eminently qualified to handle the job.

Moreover, once Persaud is officially appointed, takes the Oath of Office and all contractual and procedural matters are finalised he is expected to assume office in the new week.
It was stated in the release that the commission is hopeful that, with Persaud’s extensive experience in the agency, he will execute the functions of the office of Chief Election Officer and Commissioner of Registration within the confines of the law and deliver with excellence.
According to reports, GECOM required the CEO to be examined and approved by members of the commission.
Among the other requirements for the CEO post, candidates must have the requisite qualifications, which include a Post Graduate Degree in Public Administration, Law, Management or relevant discipline from a reputable and recognised institution, and specific training and verifiable experience in managing election systems, along with at least 10 years of experience in a senior management position overseeing and directing diverse operations aimed at achieving targets within specific deadlines.
Also, it was required for the candidate to have at least 10 years relevant experience in Management of National Elections and Election Systems.

Opposition nominated GECOM Commissioners (from left) Charles Corbin, Vincent Alexander, and Desmond Trotman.

Meanwhile, the Opposition nominated GECOM Commissioners: Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin, and Desmond Trotman have disassociated themselves from the decision to elect Persaud as the country’s new CEO.
During their press conference yesterday afternoon, Alexander stated that he believes Harrow is more qualified for the position, the process in which Persaud was elected was flawed, thus serving as their reason for voting against the decision that was made yesterday to elect Persaud as the CEO.
Alexander highlighted, that based on the incidents that occurred during the last General and Regional Elections the populace has lost confident in GECOM and, as such, they believe that citizens will be more confident in GECOM with someone neutral as the new CEO.
The Commissioners also highlighted that Harrow has experience as the CEO for Jamaica, making him a suitable candidate for the job since Jamaica has a larger population than Guyana.
According to them, legal actions will be taken soon to challenge the appointment of Persaud as the new CEO.