Following the conclusion of the Local Government Elections (LGE) on Monday, Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton has called once again for urgent reforms at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). During a recent press conference, Norton said GECOM failed miserably to conduct any voter education programmes on the importance of LGE and the fact that citizens had to vote twice.
The Opposition Leader said he also finds it unusual that LGE concluded on Monday and days later, GECOM has not held a press conference.
Norton further complained that GECOM failed to ensure free and fair elections as his party was not given the same privilege as the PPP for recounts in various constituencies.
Moreover, Norton branded GECOM is “incompetent” as he highlighted that the agency made several errors in vote tallying and seat allocation.
Notably, when asked by media operatives to provide more details about the irregularities his party observed during the election process, Norton was unable to provide any additional information. He stated nonetheless that his party will do a comprehensive report on all the areas where there were miscalculations and other issues.
Additionally, the Opposition Leader said he agrees with the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission, that there is need for a comprehensive elections dispute resolution system to ensure effective and timely remedial action is taken throughout all stages of the electoral process.
Last month, the EU Election Observation Mission visited Guyana. During a press conference it reiterated the need for legal and constitutional reform to improve the electoral process in Guyana, in order to achieve democratic elections in line with international standards.
I believe he means packing GECOM with PNC supporters