Local Govt Minister cannot change constituencies-GECOM Chair rules

Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 December 2022, 15:13 by Denis Chabrol

Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Retired Justice Claudette Singh on Wednesday backed opposition-aligned Election Commissioners and decided that the Local Government Minister could not change constituency boundaries.

She said Minister Nigel Dharamlall did not have the legal authority to do so, according to pro-opposotion Commissioner Vincent Alexander.

Sources, however, said she left open the possibility for GECOM to go ahead with Mr Dharamlall’s announced changes or decided on its own what the constituency boundaries should be.

In addition to doing so, sources said GECOM would also have to decide on when the 14-day period of corrections to the voters list should be done.

All of these decisions, the sources said, reconfirm that Local Government Elections could no longer be held on March 13, 2023.

Already, GECOM has scratched of December 12, 2022 as Nomination Day.

Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud has formally proposed to the GECOM Chairman that 14 days be set aside for corrections to the voters lists with the hope of convincing supporters of A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change to participate in the elections for 70 neighbourhood councils and 10 towns.