AFC says: Clean the list or we’re not participating in LGE

Nov 14, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Alliance For Change (AFC) has announced that the party will not contest the Local Government Elections (LGE) slated for next year unless the current voters’ list is sanitised.

The AFC has called for a clean list of electors

Both the government and the Guyana Elections Commission have rebuffed calls for a clean voters’ list before the hosting of LGE.

In a press release on Sunday, the AFC said after much debate, it has arrived at a consensus that the party will not contest the upcoming local government elections (LGE) without changes to the list of electors. “The AFC has concluded that no election should be held on the existing list of electors because it is bloated, illegitimate and a source of electoral fraud, as demonstrated during the publicised national recount,” the minority opposition party stated.

According to the AFC on the face of it, the current list contains the names of the deceased, migrated and duplicates. “It is manifest that our electoral system is far from perfect, but we must not wilfully perpetuate a deception on the people of Guyana. During the national election in 2020, there were multiple instances where dead people, the migrated, and a host of other shenanigans interfered with the electoral process. We should not go there again! “

“The NEC believes that participating in these elections with a list proven deficient and containing widespread discrepancies would perpetrate a fraud on the Guyanese people and undermine our democratic system. The AFC has already called on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to produce a credible voters’ list by conducting a certifiable house-to-house verification and registration process. Accordingly, we would go as far as supporting the postponement of the LGE as was done in 1992 to present a “clean” voters’ list to the electorate. We have also indicated our acceptance of using biometrics and the necessary electronic equipment to enhance our voting experience and reduce the propensity for impersonation. However, as warned, we will not participate in the upcoming Local Government Elections if these changes are not made to bring legitimacy to our electoral system. The people of Guyana have a right to feel confident in its electoral system, like the voting public in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, without unnecessary workarounds,” the party concluded.

Back in September this year, the Parliamentary Opposition had said that it was prepared to meet with the Government to find a solution to clean what they described as a bloated list of voters, even if it means a delay of the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE) slated for March 13, 2023. The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) parties have both called for a credible voters’ list, hinting at a boycott of the polls if the current voters’ list is used. Both parties have communicated to the Diplomatic Community nonetheless, their willingness to sit with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government and change the laws if required, to ensure persons on the list are supposed to be there. The contention is that the voters’ list is bloated with the names of Guyanese living overseas, as well as deceased individuals. The names of these persons are used for impersonation voting, the Opposition and the Government have both alleged on different occasions. APNU Member of Parliament and Shadow Attorney General (AG) Roysdale Forde in an interview with this newspaper back then said that, “the Opposition is prepared to do what is required to ensure that there is a clean voters’ list and we are prepared to sit and meet with the Government in relation to this matter.” He said that the information was related to the international community as part of the Opposition’s efforts to get the Government to seriously address the deficiencies of the voters’ list. Forde noted however, that what is happening is that the Government continues to reject the underlining premise, which is what is necessary to clean the list and secondly, they have now taken the position that the list is in fact credible. “So that is the problem that we have,” the Shadow AG related. He said it is not that the Opposition has an unwillingness to meet with the Government to participate in a process that will result in the list being clean, “but we have the downright refusal from the government to recognise that there is a problem.”

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