GECOM has sufficient time to prepare for elections on Sept 1 – Commissioner

…Opposition Commissioners walk out of statutory meeting

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has sufficient time to prepare for elections on September 1. This is the position of GECOM commissioner Sase Gunraj, pushing back against claims to the contrary from his Opposition-aligned colleagues.

Though admitting that the actions of the GECOM Chairperson to advise the President is not unlawful, the Opposition-aligned commissioners are claiming that they were blindsided by the announcement and concerned about the Secretariat’s ability to be ready in just over three months.
But ahead of a statutory meeting of GECOM on Tuesday – which the opposition-aligned commissioners ultimately walked out of – Commissioner Gunraj spoke with the media. He emphasised that the GECOM Secretariat has sufficient time to prepare for elections on September 1.
“The constitution contemplates elections to be held in three months or 90 days. And the timeframe that has been set by the President, is in excess of those 90 days. And so, I believe GECOM will and must be ready to hold elections on that date set by the President. And the date for setting an election is the President’s prerogative and no one else’s.”

“This has a historical perspective to it. You would recall after the passage of the No Confidence Motion; the constitution caters for elections to be held within 90 days. At that time, I stood right here and advocated for compliance with that constitutional provision. And today, I will do no different. The timeline has been set and 90 days is more than adequate to comply with all of the timelines, statutory provisions and logistically to execute the elections on the date set.”
According to him, GECOM has already begun many of the key statutory tasks that are required ahead of elections and it’s just a matter of completing them. Gunraj also pointed out that everyone, especially political parties, should be aware of the timeframe within which elections would be due.

No secret
“It’s no secret that elections are due in 2025. I believe that this country and even the wider world, expect elections to be held. So, you have long read in the media that GECOM has started preparation. There are several fundamental aspects of that process that have already been executed. So, it’s just a matter of continuing that to finality,’ Gunraj further said.
There is a revised workplan submitted by Chief Election Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud.
Gunraj had explained that this plan would be discussed during the commission’s statutory meeting later in the afternoon. However, Gunraj was adamant that there ought to be no statutory roadblocks to meeting the September 1st election date announced by President Dr Irfaan Ali on Sunday.

Opposition’s walkout
Gunraj’s views on GECOM’s readiness clashed with his Opposition nominated colleagues. At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Commissioners Vincent Alexander and Charles Corbin claimed that GECOM is not in a state of readiness to conduct elections on September 1.
They complained that the last workplan discussed at the Commission level had a September 22nd date and that this new workplan would result in shortened deadlines. When asked directly whether the issues they raised are legal breaches, however, Corbin admitted that they are not. He noted that certain timelines are indeed discretionary at the level of GECOM.
“There are two questions wrapped up there. One is whether all of the issues we’ve identified are embedded in law. The answer is no. Some of them are embedded in law. For instance, the issues supportive of contestants, meaning the amount of time you have to appeal and for the court to render a decision, are mandated in law.”
“The issue of how much time you allocate to claims and objections… again, it is discretionary at the level of GECOM… we will continue to engage and make these points at the level of the commission. We’re just hoping there’s some internal response to the concerns raised,” Corbin added.
Despite expressing concern over GECOM’s readiness and a willingness to address the issues internally, however, it would later emerge on Tuesday afternoon that the opposition commissioners walked out of the statutory meeting.
During his speech at the 59th Independence Flag Raising ceremony at Albion, East Berbice-Corentyne, Region Six on Sunday night, President Dr Irfaan Ali had announced that the official date for the 2025 General and Regional Elections will be September 1, 2025. He had noted that he reached this decision following consultation with GECOM Chairperson, retired Justice Claudette Singh on GECOM’s readiness.
Following his announcement, several opposition figures have endorsed the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), including The Citizenship Initiative (TCI) founder Shazam Ally and Region Four Chairman Daniel Seeram. Additionally, United States (US)-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohammed made the more controversial declaration that he intends to run for President.