The People’s Progressive Party will not contest local government elections under the Guyana Elec-tions Commission’s Chair-manship of Dr Steve Surujbally.
At the party’s weekly press conference yesterday General Secretary Clement Rohee was asked whether or not the PPP would partake in the long overdue local government elections to which he responded, “Not with Mr Surujbally.”
Rohee reiterated that the party was calling for Surujbally’s resignation. This has been ongoing since May 18 and saw picketing exercises outside Gecom’s offices on May 20 and continuing up to the opening of the 11th Parliament on June 10.
The party is yet to file its legal petition against Gecom although executive member and former attorney general Anil Nandlall had previously told Stabroek News he was confident that the party was adequately prepared.
Rohee then sought to clarify his position when challenged, stating that any headline which said the party would not contest local government elections, would be speculative as changes in the commission would be reflected in the party’s petition to the courts including the call for Surujbally’s resignation. He refused to say the PPP would boycott local government elections.
Local government elections have not been held since 1994 although they are due to be held every three years by law. The coalition government had promised that it would hold these elections within the first 100 days in office. However, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan has since said that it is hoped that these elections can be held by the end of the year, while stressing that it is a priority for the administration.
Meanwhile, when asked how far along the party was in compiling the petition, Rohee could not say, stating that Gecom had refused to provide critical documentation.
The PPP has been heavily criticised both internally and externally as having failed to produce real and tangible evidence pointing to any irregularities at the May 11, 2015 General and Regional Elections. To date the party has failed to file any legal action after failing to use the time frame for contesting the elections and requesting a recount provided for under the Representation of the People’s Act.
Meanwhile Surujbally remains unfazed by the party’s most recent attacks. Speaking to Stabroek News he noted that the party has not surmised why it is calling for his resignation.
Surujbally has been chairman for the past three elections, two of which were won by the PPP/C. It is only after it was defeated by the APNU+AFC Coalition that the PPP/C began to call for Surujbally’s resignation.
The APNU had called for the resignation of the Chairman after the 2011 elections, alleging that Surujbally and then chief election officer Gocool Boodoo were about to release election results in which the PPP would have won by a one seat majority.
APNU’s Commissioner Vincent Alexander had revealed that that Boodoo had changed a formula at the 2011 general elections which nearly erroneously handed the PPP/C a parliamentary majority. The APNU had stated that the both Surujbally’s and Boodoo’s resignations were the first step towards a complete overhaul of the body. Subsequently in July 2013, the commission voted to not renew Boodoo’s contract and in March 2014 current CEO Keith Lowenfield was unanimously elected to the post he had been acting in as the deputy CEO.
