Government is seeking $3.4 billion for the holding of general and regional elections and tabled a supplementary paper to this effect in the National Assembly yesterday.
Stabroek News understands that the paper will be debated at the next sitting on May 23rd. It is likely to be passed as the opposition PPP/C has said that it would not be returning to the House until the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) rules on the validity of the December 21st no-confidence motion against the government. The opposition party was absent from yesterday’s sitting.
Government is seeking $3,314,152,155 for current and $182,344,000 for capital expenditures for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
In the 2019 budget, GECOM was allocated $5.4 billion of which $2.9 billion was for 2020 poll preparations, which, if not for the no-confidence motion, would be constitutionally due by August next year. In addition, $3.36 billion was allocated for house-to-house registration, scheduled to begin this year.
With a looming judgment from the CCJ on the no-confidence motion, it is unclear when elections will be held as GECOM’s attorney at the CCJ, Stanley Marcus, has told court that there were financial and other constraints which militated against the commission being able to hold elections within the 90-day constitutional timeframe stipulated.
He sought to advance that not only was the commission strapped for cash, but that the voters list needed to be updated to ensure the holding of credible elections. He said that the commission had already had its plans for execution of its mandate for elections in 2020—the regular 5-year period for which governments are elected.
GECOM began to implement its house-to-house registration programme and training persons in late March.
Only Tuesday, tempers at a meeting of the commission flared when its Legal Officer, Excellence Dazzell, tabled a personal opinion that disagrees that a new voter’s list is required.
This advice could be significant as if the CCJ rules for early elections, the state of the list will be a critical element in the timetable. Dazzell’s advice would also be seen to run counter to the move by the government-appointed commissioners to have house-to-house registration before general elections are held. The PPP-appointed commissioners are opposed to house-to-house registration.
