Change Guyana says democracy under threat, calls on GECOM to rescind ID card decision

A new political party headed by two businessmen is calling on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to rescind its decision to remove over 25,000 persons from the voters list for failing to uplift their national Identification Cards (ID).

Change Guyana (CG) in a statement Wednesday, says it “is deeply concerned that the fundamental democratic rights of Guyanese to vote is under threat…

“CG firmly believe that GECOM must do whatever it takes to ensure a free, fair and credible election where the cornerstone is the right of every Guyanese to vote.”

The Party, headed by businessmen Robert Badal and Nigel Hinds, noted that this decision will be unconstitutional as it is at odds with a ruling by the Chief Justice which details the criteria to be met for a voter to be struck off the list.

“Voters do not require an ID card to vote since registered voters have an option to use a passport as a valid form of identification when voting.

“We join our voice to the growing call for GECOM to fulfill its constitutional mandate and not jeopardize our fragile democracy by denying Guyanese to participate in their democratic right to vote,” the new party noted.

The Elections Commission will be moving ahead with plans to remove the names of over 25,000 persons from the voters list who have not collected their Identification Cards dating back to 2008.

GECOM will publish these names this weekend, according to Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Vincent Alexander who spoke with the media shortly after the agency’s statutory meeting on Tuesday.

Alexander said the names will be published in the four national newspapers: The Guyana Chronicle, Stabroek News, Kaieteur News and Guyana Times.