Yesterday’s statutory meeting of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was brought to an abrupt halt as a result of a power outage while the government and Opposition-nominated Commis-sioners were engaged in a battle over the experience of Vishnu Persaud to serve as Chief Election Officer (CEO).
Persaud, who served as GECOM’s Deputy CEO and Public Relations Officer, is one of the six names shortlisted for the post as GECOM looks to fill the vacancies of CEO, Deputy CEO, Assistant CEO, Chief Accountant, Legal Officer, Logistics Manager, Civic and Voter Education Manager.
Yesterday’s meeting was intended to discuss the integrated shortlist submitted by GECOM Chair retired Justice Claudette Singh last week. The list contained the names of Persaud, Director-General of Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and Regional Manager at the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, Leslie Oliver Harrow; St Kitts election official, Eugene Godfrey Petty; Dr Kurt Clarke from Texas; former Deputy CEO and GECOM Public Relations Officer, Vishnu Persaud; GECOM Assistant Registration Officer and former Ethnic Relations Com-mission (ERC) Commissioner, Deodat Persaud and GECOM’s Information Technology Manager, Aneal Giddings.