Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally has assured opposition parties that the body is examining opinions on whether it can intervene to defer the suspension of the broadcast licence of CNS Channel 6 to some time after the upcoming polls.
He gave this assurance at a meeting on Wednesday with representatives of A Partnership For National Unity (APNU), Alliance For Change (AFC) and The United Force (TUF) to discuss the suspension, among other things, GECOM said in a statement.
The meeting followed a request by David Granger, APNU Presidential Candidate, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, Leader and Presidential Candidate of the TUF, and David Patterson of the AFC, for an audience with the Commission to discuss their stated concerns.
GECOM said at the meeting, the representatives of the respective parties were collective in their condemnation of the suspension of the broadcast licence of CNS 6 and called upon the Commission to intervene in an expedient manner by making representation towards a deferral of the suspension to some time after the upcoming General and Regional Elections.
“All of the Parties emphasized that the suspension has placed them at a great disadvantage, insofar as equal media access for all Political Parties contesting the Elections is concerned, and that the suspension has created an “uneven playing field,”” GECOM noted.
Surujbally, GECOM added, assured that that their concerns had been discussed at the October 4 Statutory Meeting of the Commission and that several relevant opinions had been put forward for consideration. He also expressed his preference to seek legal guidance towards arriving at a determination on whether GECOM has jurisdiction to pronounce on the matter, GECOM added. It said the parties’ representatives were given the assurance that the discussions on the matter would continue at the level of the Commission and Surujbally gave the further assurance that he would contact them as soon as GECOM would have reached a position on the matter.
