Jagdeo says attempt to exclude 25,000 names from Voters’ List must not succeed

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday railed against a decision by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to remove the names of persons who fail to pick up their national ID cards from the official list of electors.

The Commission’s chairman, Justice (rt’d) Claudette Singh decided that GECOM will be publishing the names of in excess 25,000 persons who did not collect their national Identification Cards since 2008. Official notices will also be sent to their addresses.

These persons will be given 21 days to collect their ID cards and failure to do so within the prescribed time will see their names being removed from the official list of electors for the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections.

“We must not allow this to succeed,” Jagdeo said at a press conference at his Church Street, Georgetown office.

He said this could lead to a legal challenge of the elections and cause the elections to be quashed.

“It is unbelievable that a decision like this could be made,” Jagdeo declared.

He said the possession of a National ID card has “no connection with the right to vote.”