The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) says that at its statutory meeting held today it approved the work plan for the conduct of Local Government Elections (LGE).
In this regard, the Secretariat will proceed with the full implementation of the relevant statutory and administrative activities to ensure the successful conduct of the elections in the eighty
(80) Local Authority Areas (LAAs) countrywide, it said in a release.
It provided no likely period for the elections. On October 20th last year, the Minister of Local Government, Nigel Dharamlall announced that LGEs would be held on March 13, 2023. This was the earliest date signified by the chair of GECOM, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh in her correspondence to him on when the polls could be held. That date was however derailed by GECOM having to reopen the claims and objections process and a dispute over the demarcation of constituencies. GECOM has now concluded those processes and the GECOM Chair will now have to write Dharamlall indicating when it is ready.
The release today said that going forward the GECOM Secretariat will immediately move to (i) roll out a robust civic and voter education programme, (ii) appoint Electoral Registrars and Assistant Electoral Registrars, and (iii) extract the Preliminary List of Voters (PLV).
These activities are directly linked to the preparation of Registers of Voters
for each of the 80 Local Authority Areas.
The release said that preparation for the conduct of Local Government Elections commenced in 2022. In this regard, it said that the GECOM Secretariat had already completed the training of management and polling day staff for all of the Local Authority Areas, and
the receipt of applications for and approval of symbols submitted by political parties, voluntary groups and individuals who intend to contest in the elections.
