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“Every vote counts”
– Opposition commissioner says amid deepening division at GECOM
Opposition-nominated commissioner, Vincent Alexander
Kaieteur News – The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) continues to face intense internal divisions among government and opposition-nominated commissioners over key electoral issues, following a series of recent meetings at the commission’s headquarters in Kingston, Georgetown.
Since the announcement of general and regional elections scheduled for September 1, GECOM has been holding bi-weekly meetings—every Tuesday and Thursday—to deliberate on preparations and procedures for polling day. However, several contentious issues have surfaced, leading to a clear rift among commissioners.
Asked if he was concerned about the persistent disagreements at the commission, he responded, “An election cannot be considered to be fair if sections of the electorate are locked out. Every vote counts, and more so in a close election.”
One of the most divisive matters under discussion is whether prisoners should be allowed to vote in the upcoming elections. Opposition-nominated commissioner Vincent Alexander confirmed that the commission remains “equally divided” on the issue.
Speaking with Kaieteur News on Wednesday, Alexander said, “The right was acknowledged, but there were those who refused to take responsibility for enabling the incarcerated to [vote].”
Government-nominated commissioner Sase Gunraj, when contacted on Tuesday, explained that while the issue was raised, “there is no legislative provision” currently in place to allow for such voting. He said GECOM’s chairperson, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, indicated her intention to consult with Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, regarding the matter.
Alexander, however, contested the direction being taken, stating: “Only three commissioners supported this course of action.”
Another pressing issue is the underlining of names of Guyanese nationals who reside overseas. Alexander referenced alleged irregularities during the 2020 elections, where he said votes were cast on behalf of overseas persons who were not present in Guyana at the time.
In light of this, the opposition proposed that the names of known overseas voters be underlined on the official voters’ list for added scrutiny.
“It means on the voters list, the names of the persons who are overseas would be underlined, thus alerting the officials to the presence of such a person for the purpose of scrutinising to ensure that it is not an impostor,” Alexander stated.
This proposal was, however, rejected during the GECOM meeting, with Alexander stating it was “thrown out by a 4-3 majority who argued erroneously that there was no provision for such names to be underlined, albeit the NAT (National Registration Act).”
He strongly refuted this reasoning, arguing that the law does provide for such measures. “The Registration Act does provide for the names to be submitted and their use effected by Commissioner of Registration (Reg. 40 of the National Registration Act),” Alexander asserted.
Alexander further commented on the commission’s approach, stating, “Clearly, GECOM continues to refuse to embrace measures that would ensure that every entitled person is able to vote and that illegal voting has occurred in [the] 2020 elections.”
The issues of prisoner voting rights, underlining names of overseas Guyanese, as well as flagging of the names of dead persons on the list are expected to be revisited during today’s scheduled GECOM meeting.
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