GECOM makes polling place changes at Mon Repos, other villages

Residents in Mon Repos will be voting at a total of five polling places on Monday following the approval of three additional sites by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), which on Friday declared that it is in a state of readiness.

GECOM Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward on Friday evening told reporters that the commission had approved a final list of five polling places in the East Coast Demerara community.

Previously 18 polling stations had been located at two polling places, the Mon Repos Primary and Nursery Schools, but following an official objection from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) this was reviewed.

The party had argued that since the two schools were located in the same compound residents would face  “congestion” which could deter them from exercising their franchise and therefore amount to voter suppression.

In response, nine stations have been moved and will now be housed at the Mon Repos Market Tar-mac, the Mon Repos Health Centre and the Beterverwagting Practical Instruction Centre on the Railway embankment.

At Foulis the polling place previously housed at the old Regional Demo-cratic Council (RDC) building at Paradise has been moved to “Jai’s Workshop,” a privately-owned property.

Additonally, residents of Chesney, Corentyne  who were previously expected to vote at Albion Front will be able to cast their ballots within their own community while a request for an additional polling place in Friendship, West Berbice has also been granted.

The number of polling stations, however, remains at 2,339.

‘Ready’

The Commission is also reporting that preparations for elections are “very advanced”.

“GECOM is ready and everything has been done,” Commission Chair retired justice Claudette Singh told reporters yesterday following the signing of a Code of Conduct by contesting parties.

Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield further explained that in voting districts across the country Returning Officers (ROs) were receiving their ballot boxes for distribution to various polling places. “The boxes will be secured to be deployed in some instances [today] based on the geography and locations they have to go to. On E [Election Day] minus two and E minus one we will have movements across the spectrum by Presiding Officers and Security Ranks to some localities and on E-Day itself we will be deploying as early as 3 am in some instances to the polling stations to ensure we are there on time to commence voting,” he shared.

Polling stations across the country open at 6 am.

Lowenfield also noted that the Commission had agreed to allow party agents to accompany Statements of Poll from the Offices of various Deputy Returning Officers (DROs) to Returning Officers for tallying.

As a result, there will be “another layer of agents from the political parties who will accompany the DRO as they receive the boxes and Statements for transmission to the Returning Officers.”

Previously, Party Agents were part of the counting process within the polling station but left with their own copy of the statement of poll once counting had ended.

He explained that neither the political parties nor GECOM staff had yet been informed of this new layer but that they would all be briefed before Election Day.

The CEO also explained that “all things being equal” GECOM would annouce the results of the elections “as soon as possible.”

He would not committ to a particular date, while noting that based on the preliminary results any political party could decide to call for a recount of specific ballot boxes and thereby delay the official declaration of results.

“That subset of the operations, GECOM doesn’t have any control over so that is why we can only say as early as possible,” he explained.