A sum of approximately $1.1 billion has been set aside in the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) 2021 budget for local government elections although no provisions have been made for house-to-house registration, which is seen as a key prerequisite for the holding of future polls.
This revelation was made by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira during the continuation of the Committee of Supply’s consideration of estimates for the 2021 national budget on Wednesday.
Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones asked the minister to provide the sum of money that was allocated to host the local government elections and whether there was also provision made for house- to-house registration to be conducted.
“The total comes up to $1.1 billion dollars for local government elections…. There is nothing in the budget that has been prepared, there is nothing in the GECOM budget 2021, no provision has been made for house to house registration,” Teixeira responded.
The minister noted that that decision would have to be made by the commission and if the commission does make that decision to have house-to-house registration and would require additional funds, it will then come back to the National Assembly to request supplementary funding.
Subsequently, opposition Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul asked the minister when the commission would begin the process of education, training and advertising for the expected local government elections. It was then revealed that in the budget provisions have been made for training of staff for the elections and from the projections would be done in the third quarter of the year. “In their projections, they are looking at the third quarter of the year, depending on the decision of the commission. They cannot act on their own without a decision from the commission,” Teixeira explained.
The estimates for the agency were approved.
