According to Elections Commissioner Vincent Alexander, GECOM has received a request to approve proxy votes for the hundreds of Guyanese currently working on ExxonMobil’s offshore oil platform.
Speaking with reporters following yesterday’s meeting of the commission, Alexander explained that with approximately 300 workers aboard the Liza Destiny, a Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading facility, GECOM will either have to approve the proxy votes or Exxon will have to shut down operations and bring the workers onshore.
“We have had the past experience where Troy (Resources) and the other large gold producers had to shut down operations to allow voting. They have not made any request of us this time. Exxon has and related agencies have,” he shared.
According to the Representation of the People Act, every employer shall permit every elector in his employ, other than any elector on whose behalf another elector has been appointed to vote as a proxy, to be absent from his work on election day for a reasonable time, in addition to the normal midday meal hour, for the purpose of voting at the election.
Further any employer who refuses or who in any other way interferes with the granting to any elector in his employ of the period for voting shall on summary conviction be liable to a fine of $32,500 or to imprisonment for six months.
