GECOM appoints new DEO

Apr 05, 2023 News

…Alexander accuses GECOM of breaching criteria to select ‘PPP-preferred’ candidate

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) by way of a majority vote at a statutory meeting held on Tuesday appointed former Information Technology (IT) Manager, Aneal Giddings as the Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO).

Opposition-nominated GECOM commissioner, Vincent Alexander

The Commission’s decision to appoint Giddings has however been met with objections from opposition-nominated commissioner Vincent Alexander. Alexander is once again accusing GECOM of failing to follow the required criteria for the appointment of the Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO).

In a letter to the editor, Alexander claimed that GECOM has for the third time skipped the mandatory protocol to appoint Giddings, a People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) preferred candidate to the position of DCEO.

He explained that when the position was originally advertised, another candidate met the requirements but was not appointed.

Alexander claimed that the position was nevertheless re-advertised. This, he said resulted in Giddings, who was at the time of applying, one year short of the required experience being placed under consideration.

The GECOM commissioner explained too that “the advertisement clearly stated that at least five years in Management of National Elections and Election Systems is a prerequisite requirement.”

However, he said that Giddings joined GECOM in June, 2018 and is still three months short of the required experience.

“It should be noted that the interviews were inordinately delayed by approximately one year and it is now being argued that Mr. Giddings has four years and nine months experience. As much as this is contrived, Giddings still has not met the stipulated years of experience. No one in the process has contested or can contest that fact,” Alexander said.

DCEO Aneal Giddings

He continued: “The decision to appoint him has been justified from the standpoint that Mr. Giddings is a better candidate. In other words, the criterion of experience has been thrown out of the window and the baseless ruling out of the other candidate on the basis of qualification.”

According to Alexander, this is the third time in succession that GECOM has contrived to appoint a candidate who has not met the mandatory requirement, to wit experience.

He said that “the position of Assistant Chief Executive Officer (ACEO) was re-advertised although at least four of the original applicants met the requirements and were shortlisted on both occasions; however, a retiree who had not previously applied was let in and given the job”.

Alexander therefore claimed that the PPP/C appointed commissioners are on a mission to foist candidates of their choice on GECOM.

These occurrences, he said brings into question the impartially of the electoral body.

He stressed that the occurrences are at the pinnacle but a tip of the iceberg in relation to the management of human resources at GECOM.

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Aneal Giddings, GECOM Commissioner, Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Information Technology (IT) Manager, Vincent Alexander

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