GECOM must hire staff with integrity, instead of implementing biometrics – Nandlall

Political parties and civil society bodies have submitted recommendations to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) regarding the adoption of biometrics and electronic voting to enhance electoral integrity. However, GECOM has clarified that this can only be done with the passage of related legislation.
Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall on Tuesday evening said he disagrees with calls for the implementation of biometrics noting that the Commission should instead work towards hiring “staff with integrity.”
“They must hire staff with integrity, trained qualified people. People whose character and reputation can withstand scrutiny and who are not prone to the proclivities we have seen exhibited,” he said referring to attempts to derail the results of the 2020 General and Regional Elections.
The attorney general, whose office is responsible for the drafting and updating of the country’s laws, posited that the current Identification Cards issued by the elections body are sufficient to identify voters.
“You have biometrics already. Your ID Card with your distinguishing marks, with all your particulars, those are biometrics,” he said.
Nandlall believes that the political opposition parties recommending the new system are looking for a means to tamper with the next elections results. “They want an ability to play tricks with the elections. They want to put a system possibly that they can manipulate,” the AG stated.
Currently, several former staff of GECOM are facing charges for electoral fraud including former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers along former IT Officer Enrique Livan. The charges relate to efforts to declare the Opposition APNU+AFC as winner of the 2020 elections.
The elections process including voting were declared free and fair up until the tallying of the Region Four votes which led to a five-month delay of the results.
GECOM has indicated that it has sufficient systems in place to prevent any form of dishonesty on election day. These include but are not limited to, (i) the presence of political party agents at each polling station, (ii) accurate identification of the voter, (iii) the use of indelible ink, (iv) the presence of security personnel from the Guyana Police Force, (v) the conduct of an intensive voter education campaign, (vi) adequate training of Election Day staff for efficient conduct of the polls, (vii) counting of ballots at the place of poll in the presence of authorised representatives of the contesting parties, and (viii) the presence of local and international observers throughout the voting and counting processes.