A People’s Progressive Party (PPP) delegation met with the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) on Thursday on its concerns arising from the recently held local government elections, including the handling of ties in some local government authority areas.
According to a PPP press release, the delegation, led by PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, addressed Gecom’s alleged “abdication of its responsibility” and emphasised its role in directing the general conduct and supervision of elections.
“The PPP called on Gecom to activate the process of completing the elections and suggested that Gecom should not await the outcome of the court proceeding but that it should pronounce within the meaning of the law on these matters,” the release said.
The March 18 polls resulted in ties at the council level in Mabaruma and five Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), Woodlands/Bel Air, Malgre Tout/Meer Zorgen, Gibraltar/Fyrish, Industry/Plaisance and Woodlands/Farm.
After two rounds of voting, the councillors were unable to elect a mayor in the case of Mabaruma and chairpersons in the case of the NDCs. Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan then stepped in and appointed the leaders of these councils, although the laws suggest that by-elections should have been held to select these leaders.
As a result, the PPP moved to the courts to challenge the appointments and Justice Diane Insanally has granted interim orders quashing Bulkan’s decisions.
Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield on Tuesday said Gecom would not act in relation to those local government areas which saw ties at last month’s polls until the court makes a decision on the case before it. “…Gecom’s authority does not supersede that of the court,” Lowenfield had said.
Bulkan has since defended his decision, saying the appointments of council leaders was done to ensure that the work of those councils could begin.
A number of persons, including former chairman of the elections commission Edward Hopkinson, have however pointed out that the law that provides for by-elections has not changed since the 1994 local government elections, which saw by-elections being held to elect the chairperson and vice-chairperson of three NDCs following a deadlock at the council level.
When asked to explain why Gecom had not acted before the matter was taken to court or even before a decision had been made by Bulkan to unilaterally appoint leaders, Lowenfield maintained that neither the acting town clerk of Mabaruma nor the overseer of any of the affected NDCs informed the relevant Returning Officers that attempts to elect a mayor or chairperson had resulted in deadlocks.
“No one has to this day officially informed Gecom that there was an equality of votes at those meetings. Gecom cannot act without official information,” he said.
When Stabroek News contacted the acting Town Clerk of Mabaruma Ovid Morrison, he refused to comment on the issue, while directing all queries to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communities.
The PPP has, however, noted in its release that Gecom assured its delegation that the “law in relation to ties will be addressed by approaching the National Assembly.”
