New registrations could ‘taint’ polls, opposition warns

Opposition political parties yesterday warned that holding a new round of Claims and Objections to facilitate registration could taint the upcoming polls, while saying the Guyana Elections Commis-sion (GECOM) appeared ready “to bend to the will” of the government and the ruling party.

The PNCR, AFC and WPA detailed their concerns in a letter sent yesterday to GECOM Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally, ahead of a commission meeting today to address the issue of an exercise to facilitate potential electors now in possession of source documents needed to register.

In light of recent pronouncements on the issue by President Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP/C, the opposition parties said the commission seemed ready to acquiesce to government and the ruling party, while noting the danger of such a