Last updated on Friday, November 22, 2024, 10:22 PM by Denis Chabrol

As the number of eligible voters is set to surpass the latest figure of 718,715 and further fuel opposition, a clean roll and digitized fingerprint registration and identification of voters at the polls is required, Guyana Electoral Commission (GECOM) Chairperson Claudette Singh said on Friday. the commission needs to find out if it can introduce the biometric system.

“After listening to the submissions of the commissioners, who were equally divided on how to proceed with the matter and based on my own review of the feasibility study, I took the position that it was important for GECOM to have an understanding of and position on its ability to implement the system before it goes to the stakeholders as this absence of such understanding and position would make GECOM appear unprepared, uninformed and unable to deal with this very sensitive issue, she said at a press conference.

She said that after such discussion which continues next week, GECOM should consult with stakeholders on whether the digitized biometric system should be introduced.

The Electoral Officer’s feasibility study says that stakeholders – voters, candidates, political parties, civil society organizations – should be assured of the reliability, accuracy and inclusiveness of voter registration.

Retired Justice Singh said the seven-member commission failed to reach an agreement on how to proceed with the discussion, with the view that consultation with the stakeholders was necessary before they could fully discuss the matter itself as the views of the stakeholders would have to be taken into account. . Another view, she said, was that the commission could start discussing the issue while consulting with stakeholders and the feedback could be considered in the commission’s discussions. Third, there was an opportunity for the Commission to discuss the issue first before the stakeholders could be heard and in what form.

GECOM Deputy Electoral Officer, Aneal Giddings said the list of eligible voters now totaling 718,715 would increase for the 2025 general and regional elections as November 2025 registrations have not yet been included. At the election on March 2, 2020, 464,565 votes were cast out of a total of 661,378 eligible voters.

On the vexed issue of the need for a clean electoral roll, the GECOM chairman relies on a 2019 High Court decision, which was not appealed, that names could not be removed from the electoral roll and the list of registrants if they are overseas unless exists is proof that these people died. Justice Singh said only legislation can facilitate the removal of names from the lists as that decision of the Supreme Court was never appealed and is now law.

Chief Electoral Officer Vishnu Persaud said GECOM has used information from the General Registrar’s Office to flag the names of deceased persons who have been removed from the electoral roll but are kept in the National Register of Registrants. Pursuant to an amendment to the Representation of the People Act, Persaud said the chief medical officer and police chief had submitted the names of 1,018 people who died from January to April 2024. He said these names have yet to be verified as GECOM has yet to approve the method of to do it.