The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has once again asked the Chief Election Officer (CEO), Vishnu Persaud to revise his work plan for the conduct of Local Government Elections (LGE), after he proposed a date in February 2023.

The Commission wants him to look at an earlier date in January.

Last week, the CEO proposed 12th December 2022 as a possible date for elections.

However the Commission found that timeline to be unrealistic when it reviewed the CEO’s workplan.

Today, the Chairman of the Elections Commission, retired Justice Claudette Singh and the six Commissioners reviewed the revised work plan with the new February date, but again asked that it be further amended to reflect a date in January 2023.

“The second review took us into February, and there were those who felt that the flexitime we have, we could bring it to the end of January, and so they have asked the CEO to go back and see how he can tweak it,” Commissioner Alexander told News Source shortly after exiting the statutory meeting of the Commission.

Based on the legal timeframe, Local Government Elections should be held by the second week of December, however, to ensure the effective execution, the Minister of Local Government would be required to seek an extension from the National Assembly based on the advice of the Elections Commission.     

“We would have to advise the Minister on our state of preparedness, and he will have to do what is necessary to get an extension,” Commissioner Alexander said.

In the interim, the Elections Commission is currently conducting its Claims and Objections exercise in an effort to produce an Official List of Electors (OLE) ahead of Local Government polls.

The exercise is being conducted at all the GECOM permanent Registration Offices in the ten (10) Administrative Regions.

GECOM is moving ahead with its plans for Local Government Elections notwithstanding objections from the main opposition – the APNU+AFC – which has been maintaining its concerns about the size of the voters list.

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