The Alliance For Change (AFC) which is part of the APNU+AFC coalition has announced that it will not be contesting the upcoming Local Government Elections in March, owing to its lingering concerns about the voters list.
The AFC believes the list is bloated and a new voters list must be put in place for any other elections.
In a statement, the AFC’s General Secretary Sherod Duncan said “the AFC has concluded that no election should be held on the existing list of electors because it is bloated, illegitimate and a source of electoral fraud, as demonstrated during the publicized national recount. On the face of it, the current list contains the names of the deceased, migrated and duplicates”.
Duncan said during the National recount after the 2020 General Elections, it was found that there were instances where votes were cast for persons who were dead and persons who had migrated.
The party said going into the elections with the same list which was the source of problems in 2020, will create added confusion in future elections.
“The National Executive Committee believes that participating in these elections with a list proven deficient and containing widespread discrepancies would perpetrate a fraud on the Guyanese people and undermine our democratic system. The AFC has already called on the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM) to produce a credible voters’ list by conducting a certifiable house-to-house verification and registration process. Accordingly, we would go as far as supporting the postponement of the LGE as was done in 1992 to present a “clean” voters’ list to the electorate,” the party said.
The AFC has also reiterated its calls for the use of biometrics to enhance confidence in the electoral system. The party said that unless there are changes, it will not be contesting the elections, noting that Guyanese must feel a sense of confidence when they cast their ballots.
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