Leader of the Alliance For Change, Nigel Hughes today fired back at Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who earlier this week accused the Opposition of leading a campaign to discredit the Guyana Elections Commission to set the stage to dispute next year’s General and Regional Elections. 

At a press conference today, Mr. Hughes said the Guyana Elections Commission by its own actions and admissions, is discrediting itself.

He said although GECOM has admitted to a blunder recently, the governing PPP is the only party that believes that the current Elections Commission is fit to administer the next elections.

“The only person who is expressing anything looking like confidence in GECOM at this stage, is the People’s Progressive Party. ANUG, has clearly expressed its disappointment, the People’s National Congress a long time ago have been calling for the Chairman of the Elections to go, and we last week upon admission of this error by GECOM have said that it is not possible and tenable for the Ms. Singh to remain in that position,” Mr. Hughes stated.

Mr. Hughes said the recent statements by the GECOM Chairman, retired Justice Claudette Singh, that she will resign when she wants to, shows that she is disconnected from the sentiments of Guyanese towards the institution that she heads.

“I know Justice Madame Claudette Singh has had a long and perhaps sterling and I suspect the last act in that career of exercising any form of judicial function, ought not to be one where you have clearly eared you have admitted your error and now you are refusing to go because you want to decide when you should go. In the best interest of this country, in the best interest of moving the level of political discourse, engagement and most importantly the confidence in our electoral authority, please, go, resign, go home,” Hughes charged.

Hughes also detailed a number of “missteps” that he believes warrants an overhaul at the elections Commission and he said GECOM must get it self together soonest, since an election is imminent.

“You couldn’t ask for better ingredients for the perfect storm for next year and I plea, on behalf of the citizens of this country, let us at least get the electoral process, let us get the preparation for the electoral process right so that we dont start off with all of these difficulties and the first process we will have to identify, who are the likely persons to replace Ms. Singh, as Chairperson of GECOM,” the AFC leader stated.

According to the AFC Leader, the current list of electors also remains a serious issue, which the current Chairman has shown no urgency to address. 

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