Of the 2,299 polling stations that will span Guyana on Election Day, May 11th the APNU+AFC coalition has expressed concern over a small number while the incumbent PPP/C has said it is yet to see the list.
The list was to have been sent to all parties yesterday by the Guyana Elections Commission.
David Patterson of the Alliance For Change told Stabroek News yesterday that the list was still being reviewed by the coalition but so far concerns were raised in relation to roughly 20 polling stations.
While giving no specifics, he said that a number of private residences and schools were flagged for being problematic. Patterson said that in relation to the schools the space seemed inadequate.
While the majority of the complaints were not in relation to private residences being used, Patterson did however say that the coalition wanted public places to be used as stations over private residences.
He said that so far the coalition has already relayed some of its concerns to GECOM and today additional issues will be documented and sent to it.
Speaking briefly to Stabroek News, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Clement Rohee stated that nothing had come through to him as yet as it relates to the polling station lists.
On Monday during a party press conference, Rohee stated that the party was leery of the use of private residences as polling stations. He had stated that “The PPP has made previous calls on GECOM to avoid as much as possible the use of private residences in preference for public and better known buildings as polling stations.”
He added that the party would hold Gecom to its promise to make unavoidable changes in consultation with the political parties.
Gecom’s Deputy Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud told this newspaper that generally the parties have been expressing their concerns as it relates to a number of issues including the location of polling stations.
He did state that in the instances where private residences have been used it was due to a lack of a public building in the areas.
The list was finalised and reduced to its current number from an initial 2,369 polling stations inclusive of 166 private residences.
