‘Clear sabotage’ – says Gunraj, as another Opposition walkout disrupts critical GECOM meeting

Commissioner on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Sase Gunraj, has condemned what he describes as clear attempts to sabotage the electoral planning process, following another walkout by opposition-nominated commissioners that disrupted a statutory meeting today.

Last week, GECOM’s statutory meeting was halted when the three opposition-nominated commissioners – Vincent Alexander, Desmond Trotman, and Charles Corbin – staged a walkout, preventing the quorum needed for the meeting to proceed.

At today’s meeting, three government-nominated commissioners – Gunraj, Clement Rohee, and Manoj Narayan – were present, along with two opposition-nominated members: Trotman and Alexander. However, shortly after the meeting was called to order, Trotman reportedly walked out, allegedly dissatisfied with the agenda. His departure once again resulted in the loss of quorum and forced the meeting to adjourn.

“The sabotage is now clear,” Gunraj stated in a social media post following the incident.

Speaking to reporters shortly after, Gunraj expressed his belief that the repeated walkouts are deliberate attempts to frustrate GECOM’s preparations for the upcoming elections.

Under current procedures, the quorum for statutory meetings requires the presence of the Chairperson and at least two commissioners from both the government and opposition sides.

However, Gunraj revealed that a revised quorum structure—consisting of the Chairperson and any three commissioners—has been invoked under constitutional provisions to allow GECOM’s work to continue. He said this mechanism was put in place following last week’s disruption and may be used again if similar walkouts persist.

While Gunraj could not provide much details on the agenda for this week’s meeting, he noted that all items are critical to the conduct of the September 1 elections. He maintained that GECOM’s timeline for election preparation is both practical and achievable, with work progressing simultaneously at multiple levels within the commission.

Nomination Day is set for July 14, and GECOM has already published a timeline outlining other key electoral dates.