Enough time to prepare for elections – Jagdeo condemns Opposition Commissioners’ attempts to obstruct process

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo is confident there is enough time for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to prepare for General and Regional Elections on September 1.

GECOM on Thursday approved the work plan for the upcoming polls, just days after Opposition-aligned Commissioners walked out of a statutory meeting, objecting to the announcement of the election date by President Dr Irfaan Ali on Sunday.

Among other things, the Opposition Commissioners had contended that the time is not sufficient for GECOM to prepare.

However, Jagdeo contended otherwise, highlighting that countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Canada were given less than six weeks to prepare for their elections recently.

“Here we have nearly 100 days between the date of the announcement and the elections, and they claiming GECOM can’t be ready. Why are we so different? It’s the same process you have to go through,” he explained during his weekly press conference on Thursday.

Jagdeo believes that the Opposition is unprepared and is therefore blaming the elections body.

“No political party can say ‘we’re not ready’ so then the easiest thing to do is to say GECOM will not be ready,” he contended

GECOM Commissioners: Desmond Trotman, Vincent Alexander and Charles Corbin, recently held a press conference where they expressed the view that the President’s announcement of the date for E-Day was unilateral. They then proceeded to walk out of a meeting hosted by GECOM on May 27.

However, Chairperson of the body, Justice Retd Claudette Singh revealed that she was contacted by the President and she consulted with the Chief Election Officer (CEO) before indicating the Commission’s readiness to host successful elections within three months.

Jagdeo believes that the Commissioners will continue to disrupt the preparatory process given their involvement in stalling the declaration of the 2020 elections winner.

“We know of the notorious role they play in the 2020 elections… we know the role they played…they were a part of that cabal that tried to slow everything down in that period,” he reminded.

The three commissioners served on GECOM in 2020 when the declaration of those results spanned a period from E-Day March 2, 2020 to August 2, 2020. The process was marred by their walking out of meetings, litigations, attempts to declare the then APNU+AFC as the rightful winner using fake Statements of Poll (SoPs) and protest actions.

“I expect those three commissioners will take an obstructionist view in these elections and the preparations,” Jagdeo noted.