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Govt. sets March 13, 2023 for Local Govt. polls
Kaieteur News – Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall has selected March 13, 2023 as the date for Local Government Elections (LGE).
In a statement released to the public on Thursday, the Government of Guyana reiterated that it is committed to the upholding of democracy, noting that the holding of Local Government Elections is an important pillar in the democratic political system.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall
Pursuant to this belief, it disclosed that the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development chose March 13, 2023 as the date for LGE.
Dharamlall also wrote to Justice (Retd) Claudette Singh, Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) appointing the date based on the work plan submitted by GECOM.
“Please be informed that pursuant to Section 35 (1) of the Local Authorities (Elections) Act, Chapter 28:03, I appoint March 13, 2023, as the day on which elections of Councillors for Local Authorities shall be held,” Hon. Dharamlall wrote to Justice Singh.
Accordingly, an Order under Section 35 shall be published in the Gazette appointing the date. The statement added that as part of the Government’s commitment, some $2.9B has been allocated to GECOM for preparatory works to ensure the successful planning and execution of LGE.
The government had repeatedly indicated that it was ready to hold the elections but was awaiting the guidance of GECOM. Notwithstanding this, the political opposition continued to press the issue.
Though the Local Government Minister is responsible for announcing the date for the LGEs, this can only be done after consultations with GECOM, which would pronounce on the election’s machinery’s readiness to facilitate the democratic process. The elections were previously due in 2021, and some $1.1 billion had been allocated in the 2021 national budget national budget for it; however, there were questions surrounding the credibility of several employees who were implicated in the attempts to rig the 2020 General and Regional Elections (GRE). Several were eventually fired.
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