Despite the significant sums allocated to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the hosting of the September 1 General and Regional Elections, the Alliance For Change (AFC) expressed concern today about the agency’s refusal to provide hard copies of the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) to all contesting political parties.
At a press conference, AFC Leader Nigel Hughes and executive member Cathy Hughes both expressed their frustration with the commission’s actions.
Cathy Hughes described the situation as “most unfortunate and unacceptable,” outlining that even with the substantial funding GECOM has received, it “has not agreed to give all political parties hard copies of the preliminary list of electors.”
In a brief statement, Nigel Hughes, who said the agency’s actions send a troubling signal about its impartiality. “The refusal of GECOM to provide a hard copy of the preliminary list of electors coupled with the recent changes in forms indicates that GECOM by its actions is signaling to this parties that there is no other contesting parties in this elections but the two older parties,” he stated.
The AFC leader added, “…it appears to be a clear attempt to impugn the candidacy of the smaller parties…”
Moreover, Hughes questioned how much of GECOM’s budget would be required to provide printed copies of the list to all contesting parties.
He said GECOM’s act of refusal undermines the ability of all parties to compete on “equal footing.”
Further, AFC’s elections agent, Nicola Trotman, recounted the party’s formal engagement with GECOM. She said a letter was dispatched to the Commission’s Chair on Tuesday requesting the PLE. By Friday, Trotman spoke directly with GECOM’s Chief Election Officer (CEO), Vishnu Persaud who informed her that the Commission had decided to only provide printed copies to the two major political parties.
According to Trotman, the CEO promised to raise the matter again at the Commission’s next statutory meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, and committed to updating the AFC on the outcome. However, she confirmed that as it stands, “no small party has access to any hard copy of GECOM list.”