Polling agents for political parties will have to vote on May 11th in the area where they registered.
Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr Steve Surujbally said that a decision was taken yesterday after consultation with commissioners to not issue certificates of employment to polling agents working for political parties.
Surujbally told Stabroek News that “We decided to, it was not unanimous, but the majority decision was we would stick by the law. We will not go beyond the law and the law does not allow party agents be given certificates of employment.”
He said that after Chief Justice Ian Chang did not make a ruling on the matter on Monday and instead chose to return it to Gecom for pronouncement, the commission would not be going beyond the confines of the law outlined in the Representation of the People’s Act.
Surujbally stated that political parties would need to find polling agents within the areas where the agents were registered to vote. He said that he did not believe that the non- issuing of employment certificates would compromise agents’ rights to vote on Election Day.
“What we had was a majority decision. We stand by the law and I really do not think it will cause any great problems,” Surujbally said.
He stated that he was not taken aback when the APNU+AFC coalition raised concerns that the lack of certificates of employment could potentially hinder agents’ ability to vote should they be posted in different districts.
Gecom had approached the courts for an interpretation on the matter. Since the commission made its decision yesterday, Surujbally said that consultations with the various legal luminaries including the Chief Justice had reinforced Gecom’s strict adherence to the laws.
Earlier this month, the APNU+AFC coalition had expressed its desire to have Gecom issue certificates of employment to polling day agents to avoid persons being disenfranchised. Agents are recruited by parties and act as observers at polling stations.
The PPP/C had lashed out at Gecom’s decision to seek the court’s interpretation of the Act. The Party’s General Secretary Clement Rohee said the party would be sharing its concerns over Gecom’s position. On Monday during a party press conference, he accused Gecom of becoming reactive to the demands of the political opposition and seeking guidance from the courts.
He had emphasised that the party had a right to document what it believed to be transgressions against the electoral process as a “major stakeholder.”
The Act Section 30 (4) states that “an elector who, in the district in which his address as entered in the official list of electors affixed under section 34(2)(a)(iv) is situate is employed as an election officer, members of the Police Force or of the Guyana Defence Force for a purpose connected with the election at a polling place other than that where his name is displayed under section 28 may vote at that polling place if, not later than the day before election day, he obtains from the returning officer of that district a certificate under his hand, in Form 4, authorizing him to vote at that polling place, which certificate shall state the name of the elector, the number of his identity and the fact that he is to be so employed.”
