GECOM waives vaccine requirement to register Guyanese aged 14-17

…Commission to deliberate on extending prerequisite for older persons

As the national registration exercise continues, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has waived the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for persons between the ages of 14 to 17 years so that they can get registered.
GECOM commenced the national registration exercise of eligible persons on Monday, March 9. This will run until May 29, 2022.

However, while cognisant that the registration of all eligible persons is a legal requirement as it is a constitutional obligation of the Commission, GECOM says it also has to be mindful of the prevalence of the COVID-19 virus and the need to ensure the protection and safety of its staff.
Accordingly, prior to the commencement of the ongoing registration exercise, internal COVID-19 guidelines aimed at protecting GECOM registration personnel were prepared and circulated to all GECOM registration offices for compliance.
But the election body on Friday said it recognises that many persons in the 14 to 17 age range might not have been vaccinated, and could not be fully immunised for want of being in possession of national identification cards, because they were never registered.
“A decision was taken to waive the vaccination requirement for this age group. This decision was taken in consultation with the respective Chief Scrutineers of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), respectively,” GECOM said.
Consequently, an internal memorandum was dispatched electronically on Wednesday to all of the Commission’s registration officers, instructing that the vaccination requirement be waived to allow for unvaccinated eligible persons between the ages of 14 to 17 to be registered.
However, the Election Commission is reminding persons within this age cohort visiting any GECOM registration office to apply for registration that they must adhere to the routine COVID-19 preventative measures including correct wearing of masks, sanitising, and practicing social distancing.
Meanwhile, as it relates to the provision that requires persons 18 years old and over must be fully vaccinated in order to visit any GECOM registration office to conduct registration transactions, the Commission has indicated that it will deliberate on this matter.
“At its next statutory meeting, [the seven-member Commission will] determine a conclusive approach regarding this category of unvaccinated persons who may wish to conduct registration transactions,” the missive from the Election Commission detailed.
GECOM had explained that the guidelines it implemented were prepared in accordance with the provisions of updated Gazetted Public Health Ordinance, which stipulates that “every employer under this regulation shall ensure that appropriate COVID-19 guidelines are prepared and implemented to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus among workers to protecting employees against becoming infected with the COVID-19 virus”.
But the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) on Friday objected to the requirements, calling on GECOM to immediately withdraw them.
“The PNCR totally rejects the requirement imposed by GECOM that citizens wishing to register must first provide proof of being fully vaccinated or a negative PCR test. Imposing a vaccination requirement for registration blatantly violates the Guyana Constitution. The Constitution enshrines a citizen’s right to elect and be elected as a fundamental guarantee and imposes only a minimum of necessary eligibility and administrative requirements for registration and for voting,” the party argued in a statement released to the press.
According to the PNCR, which is the leading party in the A Partnership for Unity (APNU) fraction of the coalition Opposition, the vaccination requirement fails purely on constitutional grounds.
Moreover, the party added that the requirement is also absurd in that it places many citizens in the classic chicken-and-egg situation whereby to get a COVID-19 vaccine, a person needs a national ID card, but to get an ID card, a person needs to be vaccinated.
“The GECOM Secretariat has obviously given only superficial thought to the constitutional and common sense implications of imposing a vaccination prerequisite for registration. The Party has also asked its Commissioners to vigorously pursue this matter with the intent of having this unconstitutional measure withdrawn immediately,” it stated.
The Opposition-nominated Commissioners at GECOM are Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman. Government nominated-Commissioners are Sase Gunraj, Bibi Shadick and Manoj Narayan.
Nevertheless, the PNCR further outlined that its call for GECOM to remove the requirement is in no shape or form underestimating the continued threat posed by the COVID pandemic.
“We therefore urge GECOM to put in place other effective measures such as masking, sanitising, well-ventilated and spacious offices, and social distancing to promote the safety and comfort of its staff and all visiting applicants,” it said.
The national registration exercise currently ongoing is in preparation for the long overdue Local Government Elections (LGE), which are slated for later this year.
In fact, some $783 million has been allocated in the 2022 national budget towards the hosting of the elections, from which sums will cover security, equipment maintenance, procurement of containers, and storage of sensitive election materials.
Local Government polls were last held in Guyana in 2018 and were due in 2020 but had to be postponed twice. (G8)