GECOM in scramble to find presiding officers as some appointees back out

Aug 26, 2025 News

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Kaieteur News – The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is in a mad scramble to find replacements for senior polling day staff after some people declined the position of president officer, citing the weighty responsibility that comes with it.

Kaieteur News understands that many of the persons who declined the position of presiding officer also cited the criminal charges that were slapped against persons following the 2020 elections over alleged electoral fraud.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday Chief Elections Officer, Vishnu Persaud that polling day staff had already been assigned across the country, however owing to persons declining some of the positions they now are searching for replacements.

“In that regard, we have encountered some issues where some persons who have been identified based on having met the criteria for appointment in the different areas– we have found that some persons are declining the appointment as Presiding Officers. This has now resulted in us having to seek replacements. The replacement, one might feel that it should have been automatic, in that the Assistant Presiding Officer would have assumed that role, not necessarily so,” he told the news conference. Persaud said that polling staff are being moved between polling stations to ensure all locations are adequately manned. “I am not concerned that we would not be able to do this in a manner that will affect the operations of the elections,” he said.

Asked how many polling staff have declined certain posts and whether GECOM has already replaced them, Persaud said: “I reported that we are in the process of replacing those persons who declined. No, we have not done an analysis in terms of the number of the polling stations that were affected. We are not at the stage where I can say that those polling stations have been affected.  Because look it would not be unusual on election day itself we may need to move around persons from polling station to polling station to ensure that we are adequately staffed to conduct the elections.”

Asked whether the presiding officers who have declined provided a reason, Persaud: “they are saying look I do not want to take the responsibility for the polling station therefore I prefer to step down. And as a presiding officer it is your responsibility, when you are responsible for the entire operation of the polling station, from the opening of the poll until the declaration of the results and the posting of that statements of poll.”

Photographing of ballot

Meanwhile, Persaud also addressed the issue of the photographing of ballots, confirming that GECOM is aware of a leaked photograph of a ballot paper, which reveals the political party for which a vote was cast. However, Persaud stated that the Commission cannot take action unless an official complaint is filed.

The controversy follows the conclusion of the disciplined services balloting on Friday evening, during which a member of the Joint Services reportedly took a photograph of their completed ballot and posted it on social media. The post quickly went viral.

To prevent such incidents, GECOM had earlier implemented a policy requiring voters to lodge their phones before entering the polling station. This measure was introduced to protect the secrecy of the ballot and address growing concerns about vote-selling, which is often linked to voters photographing their ballots. The ban on cellphone use, and the penalties for vote-selling, are supported by the Representation of the People Act, Cap. 1:03, which states that offenders are liable to a fine of $65,000 and six months’ imprisonment.

Despite this regulation, the law was clearly breached when the ballot photo surfaced online. During the press conference, Persaud acknowledged the breach, saying: “This was tested last Friday during the Discipline Services balloting. I have not received any report that there was any wholesale or any minimal rejection. I’m certain there must have been a case where the application of this rule might not have been rigid, and therefore someone might have gone in with their phone, in a voting compartment, because you don’t step into a polling booth or such.”

He confirmed having seen photos of two actual ballots circulating on social media, although GECOM has been unable to determine when, where, or how the photos were taken.

During the press conference, Persaud emphasised that while GECOM is aware of the breach, the Commission would need an official complaint to initiate any formal investigation. However, he did indicate that the matter would be raised at the Commission level for further discussion.

“I will raise it to the level of the Commission tomorrow to explore whether we actually can go in that direction,” he said. When questioned about how GECOM would respond if a complaint is made on Election Day regarding a similar incident, Persaud clarified that GECOM does not have the investigative capacity to handle such situations.

“GECOM itself doesn’t have the investigative capacity to do that. We would have to take something like this to the Commission for guidance. I believe, when we encounter multiple registrations, for example, we report those to the police for further investigation,” he explained.

He added that GECOM staff are not authorized to interfere with a voter found using a phone inside a polling station. “We as far as practical go apply the rules approved by the commission. What we will do is make a note of any attempt to photograph the ballot and we can report it to the police with reference to the provision that is there to safeguard the secrecy of the ballot. We will have to identify the persons. We will provide the report after election day,” he said.

Despite the breach, Persaud said he remains confident in the effectiveness of the cell phone ban, emphasizing that no official concerns were raised by stakeholders. “I am very comfortable that this prohibition worked, and I’m basing that on the fact that we have not received any expression of concern from stakeholders that it didn’t work,” he said. Persaud reaffirmed GECOM’s commitment to conducting free and fair elections. “I don’t know if I can say ‘highest’ or ‘optimum,’ but that is the extent to which we have gone, and continue to go ,to ensure compliance with statutory requirements, the policy decisions of the Commission, international best practices, and the expectations of stakeholders. We are giving our best to ensure that whatever we do can withstand scrutiny.”

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• Elections, GECOM, Polling day, presiding officers, scramble

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