PNC Leader sees bloated voters list as recipe for post-elections problem

The Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform and Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton believes there could be post-elections problems if the current List of Electors is used for this year’s General and Regional Elections.

Mr. Norton continues to push his belief that the introduction of biometrics will reduce instances of impersonation at the place of polls.

Speaking during his party’s programme, “Nation Watch” on Sunday, the PNC/R leader maintained that it will be difficult to consider the 2025 elections being fair with the current list, which the PNC Reform believes is bloated.

“To go into an election without a clean voters list is in itself a recipe for post-elections problems and the PPP government has to decide if it wants post-elections confusion or if it wants to have biometrics, a clean voters list and ensure that the elections results are acceptable to all Guyanese regardless of their political persuasion,” Mr. Norton said.

According to Mr. Norton, the PNC Reform has been and will continue to work with the international community on the issue. He said his party is heartened by the European Union pre-election observer mission that is on the ground and listening to concerns.

He expressed confidence that the party might able to get biometrics and a clean voters list because of the concerns his party has raised with the international community.

“The government seems to be dilly-dallying and doing kinds of thing to ensure it arrive at the point where there is no time to do it, of course there are a lot of negative consequences for that but I am still optimistic that good sense will prevail and that we will at minimum get biometrics and be able to ensure that the outcome of the elections reflect the interest and the will of the people,” Mr. Norton stated.

Norton said the current list could have grave complications for the elections.

“So, the government is going to do everything to ensure that we do not have a clean voters list because that creates the opportunity for them to be involved in illegality. We have already established that they will stop at nothing, if something as simple as the local government where the Vice President had to apologise for forge signatures and fraud, that is indicative of the mindset of the People’s Progressive Party,” the PNC/R Leader said.

Mr. Norton said it continues to be an embarrassing situation that the current voter’s list is almost the size of the country’s entire population. He said his party did not take part in the claims and objections exercise because it will be a fruitless move, noting that the problem is bigger than removing one of two persons from the list.