New electoral laws only possible if GECOM asks gov’t; AFC to ask international community to pressure gov’t for strict safeguards

Last Updated on Thursday, 23 January 2025, 21:48 by Writer

The People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) on Thursday effectively ruled out bowing to opposition pressure for constitutional amendments to ensure there is no controversy over the credibility of this year’s general and regional elections, even as the Alliance For Change (AFC) planned to use the international community to convince the ruling party to give into the reforms.

PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo insisted that the existing rules and procedures for the verification of voters were sufficiently robust to ensure there is no multiple voting or voter impersonation. He said only if the seven-member Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) decides there should be legislative amendments would his party agree to do so. “We’re not going to be led down that road. If the GECOM approaches, the Commission approaches the government of Guyana to say ‘we need further legislation that would enhance the transparency of the elections’, then they will get our full support but we’re not going to fall prey to a distracting plot by these people, the riggers,” he said. Mr Jagdeo also said the GECOM Chairman had already pointed out that the introduction of a digital biometric system would take too long.

The commission is virtually split 3-3 between the government and the opposition which means that the vote by the GECOM Chairman is crucial one way or another.

AFC Leader, Nigel Hughes, after a three-hour long meeting with GECOM on Thursday, said that his party would be meeting with foreign diplomatic missions and organisations that fielded observer missions in the 2020 general and regional elections. He said the purpose of such meetings would be to express concern that there are insufficient systems to ensure credible results, and convince those organisations that they should pressure the PPP-Civic led administration that “confidence-building measures” such as digital fingerprints and cameras at polling stations should be used for this year’s polls likely to be held in October or November.

“We would expect, at that stage, to have further discussions with them on confidence-building measures like fingerprint, like cameras in polling stations and for them to seek to persuade the government of Guyana and GECOM, in particular the Chair, that given the lack of action by GECOM, without excuse, given the fact that there were clear recommendations which had not been abided by, that they should use their best efforts to persuade GECOM,” he said. He said the use of digital fingerprint verification of voters should not be the sole means for voting.

For his part, the PPP General Secretary reiterated in relation to digital fingerprints that “you can use it as one of the means for verification, not the only means.” He said people, who missed being fingerprinted digitally, could lose their right to vote if that system is used exclusively. Mr Jagdeo said the right to vote could not be left up to 2,500 presiding officers of different political persuasions. “That will cause confusion at the polling places,” he said.

Among the now more than three-year old demands by the opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Working People’s Alliance and the AFC are a clean voters list and the introduction of digital fingerprint registration and verification at polling stations. GECOM Chairman, Retired Justice Claudette Singh earlier this month decided that the law provides for the digital capture of fingerprints but the relevant law would have to be amended to allow for its optional use as a means of identity verification at polling stations. She also said that it would be unconstitutional for digital fingerprints to be used as the only means of voter verification.

Though the GECOM Chairman appeared to lean heavily in favour of digital fingerprint registration and verification, she said it would not be feasible to introduce such a system for the 2025 polls because of the length of time it would take to consult with stakeholders, procure the equipment and train personnel.