Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall yesterday assured the National Assembly that he is planning for Local Government Elections (LGE) to be held later this year.
With allocations made for LGE in this year’s budget, Dharamlall told the budget debate “We are planning for Local Government Elections in 2021. We have budgeted and we are planning… I will like to commend him, the Honourable Minister [Ashni Singh] for setting aside resources.”
The Minister at the time of his announcement was making the point that the opposition is scared of the $381 billion budget and its potential to rebuild communities.
However, the Minister posited that while they are preparing for the elections for Municipalities and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, there is an issue at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) that needs to be resolved.
“… Mr Speaker, there is a caveat, we cannot continue to have any elections in this country. Anyone who believes in transparency and accountability can never have [Chief Executive Officer Keith] Lowen-field… and [Returning Officer Clairmont] Mingo at the head of the secretariat at GECOM, never!” Dharamlall declared with support from his colleagues.
He noted that neither this government nor the people will condone persons accused of misconduct in public office to be a part of another elections in this country.
“… Mr Speaker, as the Minister of Local Govern-ment and Regional Deve-lopment, I have the mandate of announcing that date… and I will like to, Mr Speaker, to use your good office to bring to the attention of the public of Guyana that Lowenfield must go… and Mingo must go…”, he stressed further.
According to Dharamlall the government has a lot of work to do in preparation for the holding of this year’s elections.
“We have a lot of work to do. We really need the elections this year,” he told the House before pointing out that persons are interested in seeing changes and development in their communities.
GECOM Chair Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh had explained in December that a work plan for the elections is currently being reviewed by the Commission.
“We are preparing a work plan for LGE. In fact the work plan is before the Commission and expected to be approved possibly as early as January,” Singh had told Stabroek News.
During the 2020 General and Regional Elections, Lowenfield and Mingo had been accused of tabulating fictitious numbers from the poll to reflect a win for the then APNU+AFC coalition Government. The elections controversy dragged on for five months which saw court battles and a national recount.
What unfolded in those five months has created skepticism among party leaders and the electorate as to whether the present GECOM Secretariat can be trusted to hold another free and fair election.
Nonetheless, opposition-nominated commissioner Vincent Alexander had said with GECOM having a number of issues to resolve, he is sure the elections body can be ready to hold LGE between November and December of 2021.
“I’m quite sure GECOM has the capacity, given the time involved, to address the question of its readiness for the prescribed date of LGE,” he said.
President Irfaan Ali had said that GECOM needs to fix the issues before another elections is held.
“…What we have to do is to fix what is there first and we have to ensure that we have a system that is working and a system that people trust and a system that is professional and a system that operates in an unbiased manner so that the people of our country can contribute,” the President was quoted as saying.
But Alexander had said back in November that GECOM has always had things which needed to be fixed yet Guyana has held elections without fixing those things. He cited as an example the list of electors, which he reminded was based on a bloated list of registrants.
According to the Local Authorities (Elections) Act, LGE shall be held once every three years on any date during November 1 to December 7 of the third year, counting from the year in which the term of office of the council started. The date shall be appointed by an order of the Minister of Local Government. Since they were last held on November 11, 2018, the elections are legally due in 2021.
