PPP calls on GECOM to sanitise electoral list

Acknowledging that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and various stakeholders are engaged in a process to update and sanitise the List of Registered Electors, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is urging the electoral body to exercise greater care in the process.

In a statement on Tuesday night, the opposition party noted that names of deceased persons will continue to be on the List of Registered Electors if greater care and due diligence is not exercised.

The PPP pointed out that one of the tasks undertaken by GECOM and stakeholders is to cleanse the list of deceased persons, based on information generated by the General Registrar’s Office (GRO), which is responsible for the issuance of Certificates of Death.

“It is, therefore, imperative that we emphasise that names cannot be removed from the list on the ground that persons are dead, unless confirmation is received from the GRO,” the PPP said.

The PPP noted that GECOM issued five Lists of Persons who have died between December 2015, and March 2016. One of the Lists is of persons who have died but whose names are not on the List of Registered Electors (that is persons who never registered).

The party, however, said it conducted a review of the list and discovered a significant number of names which are in fact on the List of Registered Electors which means the lists are inaccurate.