Having not received any ‘proper’ applications for the positions of Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) and Assistant CEO, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will be re-advertising to fill those critical vacancies in its secretariat.
This decision was taken on Tuesday when the seven-member Commission met and the new advertisements are expected to be published shortly.
Sources privy to those discussions explained to this publication that the applications received by GECOM with respect to the vacant positions did not impress some Commissioners.
Since last year, GECOM has been searching for a new CEO, DCEO, Chief Accountant, Legal Officer and Voter Education Manager.
The CEO position has since been occupied by former DCEO Vishnu Persaud who was sworn in on December 14, 2021.
Persaud was one of two persons who were shortlisted after applying for the job when the vacancy was advertised in October 2021. The decision to select Persaud as the most successful candidate came down to the casting vote by GECOM Chair Justice Claudette Singh who has since justified her position to endorse him.
Meanwhile, the position of Legal Officer is now occupied by Attorney Kurt Da Silva who holds a Master of Laws Degree in Public Law from the University of the West Indies.
GECOM ended up with these critical vacancies following the dismissals of top electoral officials who were alleged to have been a part of a plot to undermine the results of the 2020 national elections.
In fact, former CEO Keith Lowenfield and his then deputy Roxanne Myers are currently before the courts on electoral fraud-related charges. They were dismissed from their positions at GECOM on August 12 following a vote by the seven-member Commission.
Editor’s Note: This story previously stated that GECOM will be re-advertising for Deputy Chief Elections Officer and a Chief Accountant however, it has since been corrected to state that GECOM will be re-advertising for DCEO and ACEO.
