GECOM to conduct two-week field exercise to demarcate constituency boundaries

Dec 20, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has decided on conducting a two- week field exercise to confirm the demarcation of constituency boundaries for the purpose of Local Government Elections (LGE).

The decision of the Commission comes days after it stated that Local Government Minister, Nigel Dharamlall was not authorised to demarcate constituencies. Opposition Commissioners had argued that the move by the minister could infringe on the rights of voters if GECOM did not confirm the constituencies. Ultimately, the compilation of the voters’ list as well would be void due to the changes in boundaries. In a press release, GECOM’s chair, Retired Judge, Claudette Singh had said that the minister possessed the power to change the constituencies, but after consideration changed her position on the matter. Yesterday’s meeting was to consider the direction GECOM would take in relation to the demarcation of the constituencies.

Alexander told the Kaieteur News that GECOM has decided to go back on the ground to determine the constituencies in the areas where necessary. He told the publication that, “in pursuance of GECOM’s mandate to demarcate constituency boundaries wherever that is necessary, it has been decided that GECOM will undertake a field exercise at the level of the offices in the local government areas, including the involvement of the parties’ assistant chief scrutineers to determine the demarcation of constituency boundaries in those local government areas which have been extended or contracted by virtue of order 39 of 2022.” It is expected that the teams will visit local government areas which the minister has extended or contracted to conform with existing information or to make recommendations where necessary. That information will then be passed to GECOM where the final decision will be made.

Alexander has stated however, that as a consequence of the upcoming exercise, GECOM has to review its work plan and timelines for the holding of local government elections. It has to take into consideration the time of the proposed exercise, which he said should commence soonest and be concluded approximately two weeks after commencement.

GECOM did not immediately have a statement when contact was made with the agency’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward. The Local Government Minister had told the media that after extensive consultations with communities, Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), state officials and regional stakeholders constituency boundaries for Local Government Elections (LGE) had been reverted to what they were in 2016.

He said that in 2018 some of the constituency boundaries were collapsed or merged to prevent PPP/C supporters from winning particular constituencies. He said that, “We have decided that we will reverse those decisions the last administration made, and we will now revert to the 2016 boundaries, meaning that there will be greater representation on the ground.” The Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) parties are accusing the government of now trying to do the same thing. APNU’s Chief Scrutineer, Carol Smith Joseph has since moved to the High Court for an urgent hearing, challenging the method in which GECOM compiled the voters’ list for LGE.

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