Surujbally set to demit office as GECOM Chairman

Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Dr Steve Surujbally has signalled his intention to demit office before the end of the year.
According to a report in today’s Guyana Times, Deputy GECOM Chairman, Vishnu Persaud, confirmed that his senior recently indicated to the Commission his intentions to leave the organisation but cautioned that an indication is not a definitive resignation.

Dr Surujbally, currently on vacation, is expected to demit office on November 30.
The GECOM Chair already wrote to the government about his desire to resign and had recommended a raft of measures of reform.
He had told the media that he has been expressing his desire to demit office since 2006.
Dr Surujbally has been at the helm of GECOM since 2001.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has repeatedly called for the resignation of Surujbally in wake of their strong belief that he supervised a rigged electoral process last year. During a press conference on Monday, PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee expressed concerns that since proceeding on leave, meetings of GECOM have not been held to deal with substantive issues save for one meeting to address administrative matters relating to the on-going continuous registration.
“Letters have been written by members of GECOM to Dr Surujbally requesting the convening of GECOM meetings to discuss matters of strategic importance to the work of the Commission,” Rohee stated.
When asked, Rohee said he was not in a position to disclose if the Party has deliberated on its nominees for the imminent vacant position of GECOM Chairman.
Nonetheless, PPP/C-nominated GECOM Commissioners have already indicated their readiness to submit nominees for a new Chairman to President David Granger.
Observer missions of the Commonwealth, Carter Centre and Organisation of American States have long urged that a new mechanism be developed to select and appoint the commission from a list of non-political persons. GECOM is the entity that is responsible for the administration and conduct of elections in Guyana. (Devina Samaroo)