Leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, Azruddin Mohamed, says his party deserves representation on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) now that it has replaced A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) as the country’s main opposition.
Mohamed argued that the three commissioners currently occupying opposition-nominated seats at GECOM represent APNU’s interests and not those of his party. “Since WIN is the main opposition now, I think we should have our own commissioners because they [the current opposition-nominated members] were serving the best interest of APNU,” he said.
The incoming opposition leader added that while GECOM commissioners “should represent all interests”, “the reality is that they don’t work like that.” He said WIN had no representation in the pre-election period, and none of the opposition-nominated commissioners reached out to his party to consult. “We have very little faith that they would represent our interests,” Mohamed asserted.
Under the law, GECOM’s six commissioners and chairperson enjoy security of tenure and cannot be removed except in limited circumstances such as resignation, death, or incapacity. This means that while Mohamed, as opposition leader, will inherit the power to nominate commissioners, he can only do so when a vacancy arises. He may never have the opportunity to nominate a commissioner in this term.
At present, three commissioners were nominated by the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and three by the traditional opposition, which was led by APNU. With all seats filled, Mohamed acknowledged that displacing sitting members is “not easy” since “it takes a whole tribunal and what’s not.”
Looking ahead, Mohamed outlined reforms WIN intends to push over the next five years, including a “clean list” to replace what he described as a bloated register that benefits the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP), and the introduction of biometrics in the voting process. “We believe that this would be in the best interest of the electorate,” he added.
