The Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh, confirmed that she consulted the Chief Election Officer before informing President Irfaan Ali about the election timeline. In a recent statement, GECOM clarified that the Chairperson received a call from the President last Friday, inquiring about the Commission’s readiness to conduct elections within three months.
Prior to her response, the Chairperson consulted with the Chief Election Officer, who indicated that he had developed a draft workplan to prepare for the elections. According to GECOM’s statement, the Chief Election Officer advised that the Commission would be ready to conduct elections by August 25. This timeline was the basis for President Ali’s announcement of September 1 as the election date.
However, members of the Commission nominated by the opposition expressed concerns, claiming they were caught off guard by the President’s announcement. They noted that the initial workplan suggested a later date in September. In response, GECOM clarified that the referenced work plan should not be used as the definitive schedule for the upcoming elections. Instead, it was simply a timeline of activities to assess the earliest possible election date after Parliament’s dissolution.
GECOM reaffirmed that based on legal provisions requiring elections to occur within three months post-dissolution, they are preparing to meet the September deadline, although opposition members remain skeptical about their readiness.
Source: newssourcegy.com
