Credible elections in Guyana

The Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has ordered that the ongoing house-to-house (HTH) registration be halted as of August 31. This decision seems favourable to those who cited constitutional provisions, through claims and objections, to add names of new eligible voters and remove those deceased. They would have preferred the decision be taken a few weeks earlier in view of the belief that the HTH process was a deliberate ploy encouraged by the government to continually delay the elections which should have been held as of March 21 this year.
The APNU/AFC Government has not relented on its position that the HTH registration is the only way to derive a credible voters’ list. Likewise, the President has been consistent with his call on the need to have credible elections, but in doing so, he is adamant that only GECOM decides when elections can be held. That is inconsistent with the constitution that governs a valid no-confidence motion (NCM) which mandates elections within ninety days. That process has been reiterated by both the Chief Justice and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
The President has therefore been consistently peddling an inconsistency which leaves no ambiguity as to his government’s perceived position of not wanting the elections at this time. With over eight months after the passage of the NCM, the government, through its actions, leaves no doubt of its desire to have the elections delayed as long as possible.
The latest effort in that regard, is the Attorney General’s signal of appealing the most recent ruling of the Chief Justice in which she stated that residency is not a requirement for registration and persons already on the voters’ list cannot be removed as a result of the current HTH exercise.
That ruling is extremely significant. Many raised concerns over the fact that the HTH, which was ordered by the immediate past Chairman of GECOM and whose appointment was ruled as unconstitutional by the CCJ, was being conducted at a time when many would have proceeded on vacation. Absence from the home for any other reason, could have resulted in the removal of the name of a voter from the current list of electors. Also, there are concerns that person not eligible to vote, including some immigrants, are being registered.
The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP), called for a boycott of the HTH process and for it to be halted on the grounds that the constitution provides for a credible list to be derived and the registration exercise was a deliberate delaying tactic by the government. The HTH process is therefore unverified since Opposition scrutineers have been absent. The GECOM’s Chair’s decision to halt the process, albeit late in the eyes of many, is a much-needed step to hold the long overdue elections. The CCJ’s final ruling and consequential orders mandated the elections by September 18.
While that date seems unrealistic as a result of the delay, the elections must be held within the shortest possible time thereafter. The GECOM Chair stated that the data gathered from the ongoing HTH registration would be merged with the current National Register of Registrants (NRR) and the final list derived through a claims and objections period. With the process to be halted and a vast number not registered, it becomes clear that the constitutional process through claims and objections, is sufficient to create a credible voters’ list.
That in many ways, vindicates the PPP’s position and validates that precious time could have been saved to meet the September 18 deadline had GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO) not ordered the HTH registration. Many have accused the CEO of pandering to the government’s believed position of continual delay in defiance of the constitution and the democratic process.
With this latest decision of the GECOM’s Chairperson, a light is possibly flickering somewhere in the tunnel for the overdue elections. The major task would be the merging of the HTH data to derive a credible voters’ list. Duplications would pose a serious challenge as the alleged registration of immigrants. The government has been accused of aiding the facilitation of the latter to bolster its chances of reelection. The deliberate delaying of the process since the passage of the NCM, may have been designed to improve its chances to stay in government at the expense of democracy.
With much said about the government’s trampling upon the constitution, the safeguarding of our democracy will have to be a foremost endeavor of all. Credible elections, as touted by the President, cannot be compromised. Therefore, the claims and objections period will necessitate the efforts of all to ensure that there are no duplications, the names of deceased persons are removed and that immigrants are not reflected as eligible voters.
The Opposition would no doubt be vigorous and meticulous in its approach to ensure that the final list is indeed credible. In the interest of democracy, it would be useful if the government, with its seemingly unambiguous desire to not have the elections now, instructs its operatives to work in a bipartisan way to have the list truly reflect those eligible to vote. Afterall, it’s a critical aspect in the path towards credible elections as touted by the President, unless there was always a ploy to remove eligible voters under the guise of the HTH process.