The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), both members of the APNU faction of the governing coalition, have welcomed the planned commencement of house-to-house registration from today by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
In welcoming the move, the PNCR yesterday accused the opposition PPP of “being scared” of free and fair elections.
Speaking at a press conference at Congress Place yesterday, PNCR Treasurer Ronald Bulkan said the decision is consistent with both the Constitution and the Caribbean Court of Justice’s (CCJ) ruling that the country needs to hold fair and credible elections in the shortest possible time.
The opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has claimed that undertaking house-to-house registration now would fall afoul of the Constitution and the CCJ ruling. New party A New and United Guyana (ANUG) yesterday denounced GECOM’s decision to proceed with house-to-house registration, while saying it was contemptuous of the edict of the CCJ that elections be held within three months.
Bulkan yesterday contended that using the voter’s list that expired on April 30th and which was based on the registration process from 2012, would not give Guyanese a credible election.
“Irfaan Ali and the PPP want to force an election on a list that is not only expired, but that is bloated with as many as 200,000 names of people who are not eligible,” he said, while adding that this makes the list susceptible to massive voter fraud.
During the press conference, Bulkan was questioned on how his party came up with the number of 200,000 names of people who are not eligible. He responded that this was based on a number of factors, including the 2012 census and the turnout of the 2015 general elections.
“The basis is essentially the 2012 census, which placed our population [at] just under 748,000 persons. It would be recalled that [in] the 2015 general elections that there were a little over approximately 410,000 votes cast. And it has been the experience in Guyana that general elections occasions an exceedingly high turnout. I think that based on the votes that were cast in 2015, it establishes that a list in excess of 600,000, which is what we would have now if we were to accept the [expired] list and to add persons who are eligible. I think that places us in that range of 200,000 persons who are probably no longer alive or would’ve migrated,” Bulkan explained.
The PNCR official, who is also the Minister of Communities, said that the list the PPP is insisting be used, blocks thousands of young Guyanese from the opportunity to vote. He contended that the list is dishonest and can lead to a dishonest outcome.
“Irfaan Ali and the PPP are actively campaigning against house-to-house to house registration; they live in mortal fear of a clean list and by extension, fair and credible elections. It should be noted that in 1990, the PPP delayed the elections by two years in order to conduct house-to-house registration,” Bulkan added.
He went on to say that his party respects the decision of the CCJ and holds the country’s Constitution as sacrosanct and supreme but believe that the no-confidence motion was a sham with widespread allegations of manipulation to influence the outcome. “We believe that this vote did not and does not represent that will of the people,” he said.
Grave concern
He added that the PNCR notes, with grave concern, the efforts that are being made by executive members of the opposition to interfere with the work of GECOM, and said that such dishonest behaviour has included threats and other forms of intimidation tactics against the Chief Elections Officer and the Elections Commission.
Bulkan also accused the PPP of acting in bad faith by submitting names for consideration for the chairmanship of GECOM that were already rejected and for having rolled back from their offer that in order to find consensus, the leader of the opposition would not be averse to the president informally suggesting names in their proposed engagement for his consideration.
As a result, he said that they are calling on the PPP to cease and desist from engaging in behavior that is in violation of the Constitution.
Bulkan was also questioned about concerns that the commission’s move to commence house-to-house registration would be in contravention of the CCJ’s ruling and could have grave implications.
However, Bulkan said that the concerns expressed by GECOM’s legal officer, Excellence Dazzell, which were reported in yesterday’s edition of Stabroek News, is one that is worthy of note but the real issue and paramount consideration in their opinion, is to have elections that can be viewed as credible and one that the Guyanese people deserve.
Dazzell had submitted an opinion that argued that the commission is bound by the CCJ judgment on the no-confidence motion against the APNU+AFC government and plans to begin a national house-to-house registration exercise could be seen as contravening the judgment.
Bulkan emphasised that the remit to conduct elections belongs to GECOM and said that it has so far been stated by the constitutional body that credible elections is premised on a credible list.
“The list is bloated and our concern, one which we believe is held by GECOM, is that the list must be purged… GECOM is an independent body and have the remit and responsibility for elections, and GECOM has made the decision that required house-to-house [registration] to prepare a voter’s list and yes, it is accepted that a ruling has been made in relation to the no-confidence motion but currently these matters are within the purview of GECOM and that is our understanding,” Bulkan emphasised.
The CCJ recently ruled that a December 21st, 2018 no-confidence motion against the APNU+AFC government was valid, which means early elections have to be held according to constitutional stipulations.
Meanwhile, the WPA also welcomed the news that GECOM has scheduled house-to-house registration to be carried out within 90 days, while saying that such a schedule allows for the holding of elections in the shortest possible time while ensuring that the current voters list is cleaned up. “While it pushes elections outside the connotationally mandated timeline, it adheres to the call of the CCJ for a marrying of principle with practicality. GECOM should be commended for altering its original schedule to meet the demands of the CCJ ruling,” it said in a brief statement.
“This outcome should satisfy all sides including the PPP which has been clamouring for early elections and those who are concerned that there could be no credible elections with the current list. In other words, the GECOM timeline offers the two political principals an opportunity to come to a consensus on elections before the end of this year. This is a win-win outcome for all sides. WPA now urges the PPP and the president to agree on a timeline for elections and to convene parliament to extend the life of the government in keeping with that agreed timeline,” it added.
Illegal
Meanwhile, in its own statement, ANUG called “strict adherence” to the CCJ’s decision for the government to respect and uphold Article 106(7) of the constitution, which mandates elections be held within three months of the passage of a no-confidence motion. It noted that it has now been seven months since the passage of the motion, which was deemed to have been successfully passed. “It was made clear by the CCJ that there were no questions of credibility regarding the voters’ list on account of the existence of an effective process of continuous registration. GECOM’s insistence on House to House registration against the judgment of the CCJ as well as the advice of their own in-house Counsel appears to be a deliberate ploy to further delay elections,” it said, while noting that GECOM’s defiance was further strengthened by the late publication of the order, dated June 11th in the Official Gazette, more than one month after it was drafted. “This leads us to believe that the commission’s actions which are in contempt of court were deliberate and pre-meditated,” the party added.
ANUG further said that a scheme to deliberately violate the constitution of Guyana, in the absence of any necessary or practical reasons for doing so, apart from an objective to enable the ruling party to hold on to power for as long as possible, is an abuse of the commission’s power and is illegal. “This has placed the leadership of the commission’s integrity under question, and in the absence of a Chairman, has stripped the nation of the confidence that the process is fair and in the interest of all parties. Where the commission is deemed to be compromised in the eyes of the public, where the commission does not enjoy public confidence, there are grave implications for national stability. We are asking that the President and Leader of the Opposition come to a quick decision on a Chairman of GECOM, and elections be called within the timeframe alluded to by the CCJ,” the party further appealed.
