The Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) is presently encountering a shortage in Election Day staff in several constituencies but Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield Is confident that existing vacancies will be filled before local government elections are held on March 18.
Speaking with reporters at the Commission’s Kingston office on Monday, Lowenfield said, “At this point, we continue to have a shortfall in the numbers, specifically in Georgetown, and for the nine NDC’s on the East Coast and in Region 2 in some specific local authority areas and Region 6.”
Deputy Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud explained that though there exists “overage” of staff in some areas, Gecom will not be assigning staff to work outside of their local government area.
“We have been looking to get persons organic to the area,” Lowenfield explained. “We are saying that if we are talking about Rose Hall, we want people from that municipality to be engaged as against going to Fyrish to locate a Presiding Officer or Port Mourant or Tain and so that is the thrust and as far as practicable, we have not satisfied that guideline as provided by the Commission.”
He explained that the Commission continues to advertise for staff and encouraged suitable persons to apply.
The issue, he noted, is most serious in the capital city of Georgetown but he is not worried as the people of the city routinely wait until the “eleventh hour” to express an interest in working on Election Day.
Gecom has approved 103 symbols of political parties, civic groups and independent persons who expressed an interest in contesting the polls, which will be run off in 71 local government areas.
