Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr. Steve Surujbally has given a commitment that GECOM will maintain its open-door policy to meet with key Stakeholders in the run up to the General and Regional Elections – 2011. This pledge was made during a meeting between GECOM and a team of representatives from the Private Sector Commission (PSC) last Tuesday in the Commission’s Boardroom, immediately before the Commission’s 328th Statutory Meeting.
… A GECOM release said the PSC had requested the meeting to discuss several areas of concern which had been raised during prior meetings between the PSC and some of the political parties in Parliament; and which the PSC shared.
Foremost among the concerns were (i) persons who were unable to apply for registration because they were not in possession of the required source documents, (ii) undelivered national identification cards, (iii) revival of the Code of Conduct for political parties with regard to General and Regional Elections – 2011, (iv) the independence of GECOM, (v) foreign Observer Missions being invited to monitor the elections, (vi) resuscitation of the GECOM Media Monitoring Unit (MMU), and (vii) the intention of the PSC to be accredited as a Local Observer of the upcoming elections.
Mr. Ramesh Dookhoo, Chairman of the PSC gave the assurance that this meeting represented an indication of the organisation’s desire to contribute to the successful conduct of the upcoming elections in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
Noting that GECOM appreciates the objective of the PSC, and viewed the initiative as “a partnership with the Commission”, Dr. Surujbally emphasized that the continuation of this consultative approach is a crucial element in the maintenance of Stakeholder confidence in GECOM’s capacity to manage the upcoming elections in a free, fair and transparent manner.
Full Article: GECOM pledges open-door policy.
