Amid months of controversy over whether his contract should be renewed, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) today took a majority vote not to renew the contract of embattled Chief Election Officer (CEO) Gocool Boodoo.
At today’s meeting
sources told Stabroek News that Chairman of GECOM Dr Steve Surujbally voted with the commissioners appointed by the opposition against the renewal of Boodoo’s contract. The three commissioners appointed by the government had voted in favour of a renewal and this led to a deadlock which was broken by Surujbally.
Boodoo’s hopes of a contract renewal were deflated by explosive revelations this week by opposition-appointed commissioner Vincent Alexander that the CEO changed a formula at the 2011 general elections which nearly erroneously handed the PPP/C a parliamentary majority. Boodoo has not responded to Alexander’s charge. It was Alexander who detected the changed formula on the day the official results were to be announced. His objection caused the correct formula to be applied and the joint opposition ended up with a one-seat majority.
