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Govt. not opposed to biometric system for elections
…but says system must not disenfranchise voters
The headquarters of the Guyana Elections Commission (Govt. not opposed to biometric system for elections)
Kaieteur News- The Government of Guyana is not opposed to the use of a biometric system for the country’s General and Regional Elections but wants to ensure that the system does not disenfranchise voters, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said on Thursday.
Jagdeo, who is also the General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) said, “We don’t have an objection to any system biometric or not that will seek to ensure that the people who vote are the people who are eligible to vote… when I talk about biometric, I talk about enhancement; when they [the opposition] talk about biometric, they talk about disruption.”
The Vice President said too that the government is in favour of having a clean voters’ list and any system that doesn’t disrupt voters.
“If you look at the flaws of the last elections, it has little to do with the system …It was not systemic but it was people driven ….” Jagdeo asserted.
However, the Vice President said at the end of it all, the decision must be taken by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as it relates to which system is most suitable for the elections.
“So, we would support the system that GECOM selects, they will have the funding for whatever they need…” Jagdeo added.
Meanwhile, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) in a joint statement issued on Thursday said it notes that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) at its Tuesday, November 5, 2024 meeting began discussions on the feasibility study on utilizing biometric technology in elections.
The Commission’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud prepared a report on recommendations made by Commissioner Vincent Alexander.
The Joint Opposition emphasized its support for the full implementation of biometrics throughout the election process. The joint statement outlined the party’s support for the capture of fingerprints digitally in the registration process (to enhance the quality of fingerprints available to the Commission and aid in the prevention of multiple registration) and digitized fingerprint identification at the place of poll (to prevent voter impersonation or identity theft).
“We express our preparedness to lend support to all the necessary stages to arrive at this outcome, including enacting constitutional and statutory changes, if necessary,” the joint statement said.
The Opposition parties noted that, “The submission and discussion of the CEO’s report on biometrics, though welcomed, constitute only a small step towards the goal of producing a clean voter list and introducing fingerprint biometrics as part of the voting process for the next and future General, Regional and Local Government elections. Let us re-emphasise the Joint Opposition supports the implementation of biometrics throughout the election process. We believe that the technical and other concerns the CEO has identified in his report do not amount to insurmountable or irresolvable issues.”
The APNU+AFC group said that it stands ready to engage in all necessary discussions at the GECOM level, the parliamentary level, and/or at the inter-party level to resolve these concerns to the satisfaction of all stakeholders, including the Guyanese people.
“We recognize and support GECOM’s position that stakeholder involvement should be integral to the process,” the two parties added in the statement while calling on GECOM to promptly engage stakeholders before finalizing its internal discussions on the way forward.
(Govt. not opposed to biometric system for elections)
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