GECOM ‘fully prepared’ to conduct elections tomorrow – Chief Elections Officer

Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud has affirmed that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is fully prepared to conduct the country’s General and Regional Elections on Monday, September 1, noting that the ballot boxes have been deployed and that the requisite staff and officers have been trained.

Persaud, at a Sunday press conference, noted that hundreds of observers are also in Guyana and will be fanning out across the 10 administrative regions.

“We, at this time, are fully prepared to conduct the general and regional elections tomorrow. This position is bolstered by feedback from returning officers even today,” Persaud said at a press conference in Georgetown.

For this year’s elections, 757,690 registered voters across the 10 administrative regions will cast their ballots to elect candidates from six political parties. A total of 2,790 polling stations will be operational with 13,925 polling staff.

Additionally, about 8,700 police officers will be working to maintain “order,” according to Persaud.

He also assured reporters that adequate safeguards are in place.

“Safeguards will include the involvement of accredited political party agents, observers and candidates from the respective political parties,” he said.

There are about 500 local observers and 200 international observers in Guyana.

As it relates to the accreditation of political party agents, Persaud reminded reporters that the Commission approved the acceptance of the late notification/submission of the appointment of Assistant Agents, Polling Agents and Candidates to the Poll and to the Count from the Alliance for Change (AFC), Assembly of Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) and the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) political parties.

The parties missed the statutory timeline for the submission in accordance with Section 24 (2) of the Representation of the People Act (ROPA), which requires that such notification be given to the respective Returning Officers no later than seven (7) days before election day. As a consequence, written appeals were submitted by the parties to the Commission for consideration.

Persaud said this approval was granted to allow for greater transparency in the elections.