The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is all set for tomorrow’s General and Regional Elections, according to Chief Election Officer (CEO), Vishnu Persaud.

“We, at this time, are fully prepared to conduct the General and Regional Elections tomorrow,” Persaud told reporters at a press conference today.

More than 750,000 persons are listed to vote in the 10 Electoral districts of the country, with a total of six parties contesting the elections.

Persaud said based on feedback from the Returning Officers in the 10 electoral districts, all statements are in place for the opening of polls at 6am tomorrow. He said already, election materials, both sensitive and non-sensitive, have been deployed to the more than 2,700 polling stations spread across the country.

“The packing of ballot boxes were completed in the presence of accredited political party agents from all contesting parties. The process was conducted according to statute and procedures in an orderly and amicable atmosphere, again involving the political stakeholders reflecting the spirit of cooperation,” the CEO said.

The ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had made a last minute request for more than 60 polling stations to be relocated. However, although revising that number downwards to 12, the Elections Commission on Saturday rejected the application. With elections less than a day away, the Commission found that it would have been extremely difficult to effect the change, and provide adequate notice to electors.

“The conclusion was that the time available to facilitate this change was insufficient and therefore they were not approved,” Persaud said. He was, however, keen on pointing out that the Operations Manager, based on his interrogation, had found that the request for the 12 polling stations to be relocated were justifiable due to the issue of access.

That aside, ahead of tomorrow’s elections, the Election Secretariat found itself in a situation where an undisclosed number of Presiding Officers have declined the position, and have opted lower posts. But that issue, according to Persaud, is now resolved, and polling stations are fully staffed with over 11,000 well trained polling day workers.

“A total of 13,925 polling day staff have been trained, 11,718 staffs were employed. These staffs have been trained to ensure consistency, transparency and professionalism throughout the implementation of their respective tasks. The Guyana Police Force will deployed approximately 8,700 officers to maintain order during the electoral process on election day and beyond,” Persaud reported.

Further, Persaud said with the Elections Commission on Saturday approving the late applications for polling agents, assistant polling agents, and candidates from Alliance For Change (AFC), Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), all contesting parties would have an opportunity to field agents across all polling stations, and observe the electoral process along with the more than 500 local observers and approximately 200 international observers, whose accreditations have approved to foster transparency in the process.

Persaud is urging citizens to vote early and in a peaceful manner. Polls are expected to close at 6pm. At the close of poll, process of counting the votes at the polling stations would begin, and according to guidelines set out by GECOM, the Presiding Officers upon the completion of that count will then hand over the Statements of Poll (SOPs) to the Deputy Returning Officers (ROs) in the 10 Electoral Districts.

Once the SOPs are delivered to the DROs, those Deputy Returning Officers will then hand over the SOPs to the ROs, and in the case of Regions 3, 4, and 6, the supernumerary returning officers for the various sub-districts to commence the tabulation process.

Initially, the Chief Elections Officer had said Guyanese would expect results of the elections to be declared at the regional level by September 2 but today, he said due to the topography of some districts, and process of having to upload the SOPs to the commission’s website before tabulation commences, those results should be declared by the night of September 3 at the level of the electoral districts.

National declaration, he said could come as early as September 4.

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