Local government elections, for which central government has allocated some $2.9 billion to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), will be held on November 12th, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan announced yesterday.
“An order, to be issued by me, is expected to be handed in today, naming November 12th to be the date local government elections will be held,” he said while addressing a morning session of the 12th National Toshaos Council Conference at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, Liliendaal.
When the elections are held, Bulkan noted, it will mark the first time in 50 years, and in post-colonial history, that successive elections would have been held as legally due. Local government elections are constitutionally due every three years. “It speaks to the commitment by the current administration to honour pledges given, when in opposition, to rebuild this local government system,” he added, while also noting that the $2.9 billion allocated is “a huge investment, but it is an investment in democratic governance.”