A group of Opposition supporters braved the midday rains today to picket outside the Guyana Elections Commission, continuing their calls for the implementation of biometrics and a clean voters’ list ahead of next year’s elections.

Opposition Leader and People’s National Congress Leader Aubrey Norton and Alliance for Change Leader, Nigel Hughes joined the protesters on the picket line today.

Mr. Norton said his party will continue to push for a clean voters’ list since it is convinced the current list is padded with persons who should not be on it.

“One has to recognize that a number of things have got to go together, biometrics on the one hand and a clean voters’ list and then the third thing that is needed is an independent GECOM, because if you have biometrics and a clean voters list, nothing prevents a compromise GECOM from ignoring and moving ahead, so it is a package, biometrics, clean voters list and an impartial elections commission in which in employees that are there are chosen for their professional competence rather than their political allegiance,” Norton said.

The Opposition Leader said that the Elections Commission is highly compromised and he does not believe there could be free and fair elections under the current leadership at the Elections Commission.

“I want it to be made clear that this election is one of the most crucial elections and we are not going to allow Bharrat Jagdeo to do nonsense, this is life and death—we prefer life,” Norton said on the picket line.

AFC Leader Nigel Hughes said that the use of biometrics should be implemented before the next elections, adding that his party is of the view that if GECOM should start the process to revamp the voters’ list and take citizens fingerprints, that process could be completed in time for the next General and Regional elections.

“Biometrics should be mandatory and it can be done in less than six months and I will be very surprised if GECOM agrees to it and it doesn’t happen in time with some sort of intentional intervention to frustrate it, everywhere else in the world it is done and it could be done in six months,” Hughes said.

Hughes said given the importance of the next election, if GECOM does not consider biometrics, it must provide an extremely convincing reason.

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Opposition Leader renews calls for new Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission; Accuses current Chairman of political bias Norton maintains current voters’ list cannot be used for next elections; Demands early cleanse of “bloated” list Hughes calls for release of census data and clean voters list ahead of national elections Over 680,000 on PLE; Norton warns agains heading to local elections with “bloated” list