It was reported on June 15 that the Chair of GECOM, Justice Claudette Singh, opposed an investigation by GECOM into the elections proposed by Opposition nominated members. Justice Singh made a distinction between a review of GECOM’s processes in effectively conducting an election and an investigation into what transpired during a particular election. The Chair argued that GECOM may look into the effectiveness of the system to ensure that there are no weaknesses. However, GECOM cannot investigate the truth of particular claims, leading potentially to a determination as to the validity of the elections. This is not the function of GECOM but of a court of law under article 163 of the Constitution. This article empowers the Court to determine whether an “election has been lawfully conducted” or whether the result has been affected by “any unlawful act or omission.”
