GECOM resumes distribution of ID cards from today

…also restarts production, processing of applications

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has resumed the production and distribution of National Identification Cards, which will be made available for persons who had applied for replacements during the period August to October 2021.
This was communicated in a statement from GECOM on Wednesday, which advised that persons who have completed a replacement transaction could uplift their National Identification Cards from the appropriate GECOM Registration Office where the transaction was done.
It was further explained that the distribution takes effect from January , 2022. Additionally, it was noted that the Commission was also resuming its processing of applications for replacement of ID cards.
“In this regard, persons who would have completed a replacement transaction are advised that they can uplift their National Identification Card from the GECOM Registration Office, where the transaction was done with effect from 6th January 2022. The Commission is also advising persons that it has recommenced treating routinely with applications for ID cards replacement,” GECOM said in their statement.
The announcement comes only a few weeks after the appointment of GECOM Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud. Persaud, who has over 17 years of experience working at GECOM, emerged as the new CEO following a competitive process which saw some 20 other candidates, including local and foreigners, vying for the top position.
At the time of his swearing-in on December 14, Persaud had said he would now have to get an idea of operations as they currently stand in all the departments. He said that if there were any projects in the pipeline, he would engage with staff with a view to ensure those projects were completed in a timely manner. One of those projects is likely to have been the distribution of ID cards.
Matters at GECOM’s Secretariat have been at a virtual stalemate, following the ousting of former GECOM CEO Keith Lowenfield, his deputy Roxanne Myers and then Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo in August of last year.
The embattled trio is currently before the courts facing a number of electoral fraud charges for their alleged attempts to sway the results of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections in favour of the then ruling A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.
There is also the matter of Local Government Elections (LGE), which Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall had said last month the Government remained committed to holding at the soonest possible time.
The Local Government Ministry was allocated $1.1 billion in the 2021 national budget to facilitate the election. From this amount, $237.7 million was slated to offset the costs of printing 500,000 ballots, among other materials. Some $285.7 million was budgeted for voter education and $135.7 million for the training of elections staff.