Guyana govt considering snap elections

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary Clement Rohee on Monday told the media that Government has “snap elections as one of its cards” while hinting that it might pull this card out before the debates on the Opposition’s no-confidence motion begins.

According to Rohee, in light of the no-confidence motion, the only option left with Government now is setting a date for snap elections.

“(Snap elections) remain an option under active consideration… We have that card in our hands that we can pull out on the table at any given point in time,” he said.

Questioned about some of the factors that Government will consider in calling the elections, the General Secretary said they are looking at some political and other factors, which he refused to divulge.

On the other hand, the General Secretary noted that he has been working along with the Guyana Elections Commission to iron out whatever issues they have hanging in the air about the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) readiness and preparedness to host the elections.

He said that there has been an exchange of correspondence between himself and GECOM’s CEO Keith Lowenfield, noting that the relationship is likely to intensify over the next few days.

Rohee explained that given the dynamics of politics, GECOM’s involvement and the fact that PPP/C is the ruling party, they will leave no stone unturned to ensure that all preparations are made in the event general election is called, given the party’s experience of witnessing the People’s National Congress’s (PNC) hand in rigging elections.

“We have a lot of experience on the role and place of GECOM in elections and we intend to invoke all the experiences, all the knowledge we have to ensure that these elections are above par,” he stated.

The General Secretary added that his party is also keeping watch on the reforms that GECOM is making, stating that they welcome any administrative or internal measures that are aimed at enhancing the process of free and fair elections in Guyana.

Rohee, in his statement, disclosed that in light of the no-confidence motion, the party’s Central Executive Committee met last week and one of the main topics on the agenda was the strengthening of the party’s electoral machinery while at the same time ensuring that both the National Register of Registrants (NRR) and the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) are thoroughly checked by party activists.