By a majority vote, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has selected Dominican Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan for its legal representation in the elections petitions filed by the opposition APNU+AFC.
This selection was apparently done without any consultation with embattled Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, who is formally named as the respondent in the proceedings, prompting criticism by the opposition-nominated commissioners.
Section 4 of the Validity of Elections Act specifies that if a petition complains of any act or omission on the part of GECOM, its membership or its staff, the CEO is to be named a defendant.