PPP getting ready for Local Government Elections – Jagdeo

Last Updated on Saturday, 20 August 2022, 1:51 by Denis Chabrol

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday said his People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is preparing for Local Government Elections (LGE) befire yearend, amid indications from the Guyana Elections Commission that it could be ready to hold the polls by November, 2022.

“The PPP will be contesting Local Government Elections,” said Mr Jagdeo who is also the PPP’s General Secretary. He confirmed that once GECOM officially informs government that it is ready to conduct the pols, “yeah, yeah” those elections would be held.  Mr Jagdeo said he has already convened a meeting and “we’ve started working on our organisational structures around the country.”

“We will put our party in a readiness mode,” he added.

Referring to Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton’s stance that there would be no elections without a clean voters list, Mr Jagdeo said government would not be forced to cancel the polls. “Norton said he is not contesting elections unless there is a new voters list. Norton can’t bully the government or the country into not having local government elections,” he said.

Mr Norton has been calling for a “clean” voters list rather than a “new” one as was claimed by the Vice President.

Mr Jagdeo said given government’s position that the local polls for 10 towns and 70 neighbourhood councils “shall take place,” Mr Norton would be forced to contest the polls. “The PPP will participate. He, now, has to back-pedal, backdown basically and contest the elections. I’m sure he will. Don’t worry with all this big gaffe,” the senior PPP official said.

He said amendments to the Representation of the People Act would be passed in September to spell out clear rules and procedures, amid alleged efforts to rig the March 2020 general and regional election.

LGE will elect town councillors for Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam, Rose Hall, Corriverton, Anna Regina, Bartica, Mahdia, Mabaruma, and Lethem and 70 neighbourhood councils.