AFC, Private Sector Commission at odds over confidence in GECOM for elections

Last Updated on Thursday, 16 January 2025, 21:51 by Writer

The Alliance For Change (AFC) and the Private Sector Commission (PSC) were Thursday at odds over confidence in the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to produce “credible results” of this year’s general and regional elections, but they left the door open for further engagements on the issue, party leader Nigel Hughes said.

“The Private Sector Commission (PSC) expressed confidence in the GECOM and we expressed the exact opposite: our complete lack of confidence. We identified several areas which have caused us to lose confidence in GECOM and its chairmanship. We provided reasons why we arrived at those conclusions,” he told a party news conference.

The opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), AFC and the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) have all criticised GECOM Chairman, Retired Justice Claudette Singh for apparently often voting with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP)-nominated Election Commissioners in making important decisions. The opposition also wants biometric verification of voters at polling stations and legislative and constitutional reforms that would allow for a brand new house-to-house registration and verification of residency of electors rather than merely the existence of a given address.

The PSC, which observes local, regional and general elections did not issue a statement on its two-hour meeting with the AFC.

Mr Hughes said the PSC representatives indicated their willingness to meet again with the AFC after the political party meets with GECOM next week to outline its concerns. The AFC Leader, at his news conference, publicly called on the PSC to support its demands for “We hope that we’re all committed to a credible result being announced after the election and in this regard, we hope that the private sector will support our call for biometric verification of the votes,” he said. Mr Hughes said the PSC was told that, as of January 16, 2025, a biometric system could be implemented before the general elections, but signaled that doing so in another six months might be difficult.

AFC Executive Member, Juretha Fernandes said the PSC representatives stated that they were unaware of a number of issues raised by her party and “they would have to meet back and clarify with GECOM those issues.”

Reporting on its January 9, 2025, meeting with PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, the PSC said amendments to the relevant electoral laws, stemming from tallying and declaration irregularities in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica) for the 2020 polls, were important to ensuring free, fair and transparent elections later this year. “The PSC recognizes the critical importance of these amendments in fortifying the electoral framework and fostering public confidence in the process. As an impartial advocate for electoral integrity, the PSC emphasized the necessity for robust implementation of these provisions by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and other stakeholders,” the PSC had said.

The PSC says it stands ready to engage with all stakeholders to ensure the integrity and inclusivity of the electoral process.