Newly sworn in Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Vishnu Persaud has assured the nation that he will not depart from doing what is right and legal in the execution of his duties. He gave this assurance this morning when he took the oath of office before Chief Justice (ag) Roxanne George.
“Nobody has to have any worry about my neutrality or that I may deviate from what is lawful and proper… I welcome the opportunity now to come back to GECOM and will carry out my duties in the best interest of all concerned…In so far as my first task, I have to go and get a feel as to what is happening in the various departments, what they have now, what they have in the pipeline and see how I can engage myself with that to ensure that these are all completed,” Persaud told the media.
Persaud’s assurance rings hope for many Guyanese who witnessed back-to-back litigation, violent protest and accusation of electoral fraud that is now associated with the five-month-long March 2020 General and Regional Elections. Persaud’s predecessor, Keith Lowenfield and other former employees of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are before the courts for alleged misconduct and fraud.
Persaud was selected for the position following weeks of deliberation among the government, opposition commissioners and the Chairperson of GECOM, Justice (Retired) Claudette Singh. It was Justice Singh who voted in favour of Persaud, a move that is not sitting well with one-half of the main Parliamentary Opposition, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
