The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has turned to the High Court, seeking an order directing the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to conduct House-to-House verification of the addresses of registrants.

Longstanding member of the PNCR and the party’s Chief Election Scrutineer, Carol Smith-Joseph has filed for a Judicial Review, listing Attorney General Anil Nandlall, the Commissioner of Registration, Vishnu Persaud, and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as the respondents in the matter. 

In the Court documents seen by News Source, Smith-Joseph has asked the Court to declare that the National Registration Act requires not only the verification of the existence of addresses claimed, but also that the applicants live at, or are connected to those addresses. 

The PNCR, through Smith-Joseph, is also asking the Court to order that house-to-house verification of the addresses of registrants be done. 

Through her attorneys, led by Dr. Dexter Todd, Smith-Joseph is also arguing that since the amendment of the National Registration Act in 2022, the Registration Officer verifies the existence of addresses without confirming the registrants’ link to them for inclusion in the National Register of Registrants. 

She believes such a practice has given rise to a number of issues. 

“Some of the addresses have on them no buildings, or dilapidated or abandoned houses in which no one lives or have lived for years; the addresses exist but no one at the address knows the applicant or registrant; [or] the address is generic, for example it may be just the name of the village area,” the PNCR member argued. 

It was noted that previously, GECOM’s Registration staff, together with duly appointed scrutineers, verified that the applicants live at, or are connected to those addresses before entering them into the National Register of Registrants.

It is from the National Register of Registrants that the lists for both the General and Local Government Elections are extracted. 

In her Affidavit, Smith-Joseph told the High Court that given the arising challenges, it is important for the High Court to interpret the amended legislation. 

“Without the interpretation of the court and the making of a declaration by the court, the integrity of the National Register of Registrants maybe questionable, inaccurate and not credible,” she told the Court. 

Smith-Joseph said same would be said of the General and Regional, and Local Elections if the interpretation is not offered by the Court.

She argued that it is a matter of national importance and must be addressed. 

Outside the Court, the Opposition has been advocating for a clean voters’ list, while contending that the existing list is heavily bloated with names of dead persons and Guyanese who have not resided in the country for decades. 

The current voters’ list has more than 718,000 persons listed. Guyana’s population is just over 800,000. (Svetlana Marshall)

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