Secret balloting to elect RDC Chairs & VCs lawful and democratic – AG

The use of secret balloting in the elections of Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons of the various Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) is a standard operational procedure in addition to being lawful and in keeping with being a democratic process.

This was clarified by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, on Tuesday evening, when he addressed the issue during the latest episode of his weekly programme “Issues in the News”.

“Secret balloting is a standard operational procedure for elections of almost everything… We are voting by secret ballot to elect the government, and the President of the country. What is wrong with using a secret ballot to elect the chairman of a municipal council?… I want to reject any notion out there that there was something illegally done in the use of secret ballots as the method used to elect the chairpersons of these regions,” Nandlall said.

Nandlall also reminded that it is the Clerk of the RDC, which is the Regional Executive Officer (REO), that is legally empowered to determine the method to be used to elect the Chair and VC, and not the councillors.

“There’s only one person who has official power at that forum and it is the Clerk… The Local Democratic Organs Act vests in the Clerk the power to conduct elections of the Chair and the power and authority to determine any questions arising at the meeting during the election of the Chairman. A question arising would be a method to be used to take the vote and the clerk has power to determine that question,” Nandlall noted.

“The clerk at Regional Democratic Council Four in my presence determined that secret ballots would be the method used to elect the chairman. There is nothing unlawful. There is nothing irregular. There is nothing unreasonable or undemocratic about that process.”

The use of secret ballots to elect the RDC Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons has sparked  debate, following the election of Chairs and VCs for nine of Guyana’s ten RDCs last Friday.

Several of the councils allowed voting by secret ballot. Though secret balloting is mandatory in Guyana’s General and Regional Elections (GRE), when electing national leaders, it is optional when the councils vote on their leaders. Traditionally the voting is done by secret ballot.

This year, parties which did not see the elections go in their favour complained about the use of secret ballots for the vote, even though it allowed councillors to vote freely for their choice without fear of retribution.

Friday’s elections saw the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) winning the chairmanship in eight out of the ten RDCs across Guyana, taking wins in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Eight, and Nine. This included a historical win of the Region Four Chairmanship and Vice Chairmanship (VC) for the first time since the establishment of the RDC in 1980.

The We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party only won the Chairmanship in Region Seven, while the party was fuming about losing their bid for chairmanships in Region 8 and 10. The party’s Council members in Region Four walked out on the voting.

In Region 10, the elections ended in a tie after candidates from WIN and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) earned nine votes each on the 18 seat council.

The tie break for the Region 10 Chairman will be done in accordance with what is provided for in the law. The law provides for the tie to be broken by the Minister of Local Government, Priya Manickchand.

“Region number 10 the elections are not yet concluded, and they will be concluded in accordance with law. In accordance with provisions of the relevant legislation. The law is not silent on this matter,” Nandlall said.