GECOM Chairman urges political parties to maintain clean campaign

Political parties desirous of contesting the May 11 General and Regional Elections will be given an opportunity to cement this intent when they present their List of Candidates to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on April 7, Nomination Day.

This was revealed on Wednesday when several of these parties met GECOM officials to discuss procedures and expectations for that day and during the election season. Speaking at the event, GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally revealed that the Code of Conduct for political parties will be immediately available after Nomination Day for endorsement.

On this day, the parties through their respective Representative and Deputy Representative will present their List of Candidates. According to a GECOM advisory, the Representative or the Deputy in submitting the list to the Chief Elections Officer must ensure that it is submitted in the prescribed form, ascertain that the list is accompanied by a Statutory Declaration for each candidate and for the President named in the National Top-List.

GECOM says no person on the list could be on more than one Geographical Constituencies’ List. The Representative must also ensure that the necessary corrections are made and submitted to the Chief Elections Officer not later than the 29th day before Election Day if the List of Candidates is in any way defective; make an application in writing to the Chief Elections Officer for the allocation of a symbol not later than the 32nd day before Election Day. This symbol must be approved by the Elections Commission.

“Every activity that GECOM undertakes, it is within the consonance and the spirit of the Constitution…” expressed Dr Surujbally in an attempt to inspire the trust of the political parties in the work of the Commission. He noted that the Commission executed its mandate within the spirit of the Constitution.

“If you believe that elections represent one of the most important tiles in the mosaic of democracy, then you have to show that respect to the purveyors, management and organisers of those elections,” he added.

According to the GECOM Chairman, the body is constantly appraised by other Electoral Management Commissions within the Commonwealth, many of whom seek advice as well. “We have gained this respect because of the Secretariat’s conviction to doing what is right and perhaps following the directions of the Commission,” he further stated.

Campaign decorum

As the political campaigning intensifies, Dr Surujbally is urging parties to ensure that they maintain a clean campaign in keeping with the expectations enshrined in the Code of Conduct.

“I’m appealing, since I cannot dictate, to combatants within the realm of the respective political parties to ensure that they maintain campaign decorum and political speeches and rhetoric would remain respectful at all times,” he petitioned, while noting that such respect should not be shown only to parties and voters but the Commission as well. “I want to believe that the days of ‘bradarism’ in the political campaign had ended.”

Dr Surujbally’s expectation is that given the maturity with which the parties had come together to sign on to the Code of Conduct, certain daring political gestures would be miniscule.

He informed those gathered that the intent was to strengthen the 2011 document for use this time around, with their contribution.

According to the Code of Conduct, the endorsing political party “recognises that peace and public order, freedom of political campaigning, and compliance with electoral laws and regulations are essential and of paramount importance to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections”.

And to achieve the abovementioned goal, the parties will have declared and affirmed their belief in the sanctity of human life, and the abhorrence of taking human life and as such, denounce the violation of anyone, because of that person’s political allegiance.

The parties must express opposition to and rejection of the use of violence and intimidation or plans of this nature by any of the candidates, agents, members or supporters as a means of expressing political support or furthering political objectives. There are rules governing the actions of parties on Election Day, as well as it relates to polling agents and others.

As it relates to campaigning, in the 2011 Code of Conduct, parties committed to contribute in every way to the goal of a peaceful election process by forbidding the use of threats, harassment or tendency to violence that might cause disruption, whether at political rallies or elsewhere, or any other form of intimidatory behaviour.

Similarly, the participating political groups are expected to forbid the use of abusive, slanderous or threatening language, or language which could incite people of one group to violence against any candidate, agent, member or supporter of any other group and the publication of any pamphlet, poster, cartoon or any other material containing text which could offend or incite people to cause public disorder.