India ready to consider any request from GECOM for support

India is willing to consider any requests from the Government of Guyana for support to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) ahead of the General and Regional Elections scheduled for later this year.

This was disclosed by India’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr. Amit Telang, during an interaction with local journalists at his residence at 121 D’Aguiar’s Park, Houston, on Saturday.

“We have not received any such request as of now from the Government of Guyana. If a request comes, we will certainly consider that. In the past, we have received a request probably from the Commonwealth Secretariat. Because both Guyana and India are part of the Commonwealth. Sometimes a request comes from the Commonwealth Secretariat for nominating some observers and all that,” he said.

India has previously offered assistance to GECOM. In 2015, then High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Venkatachalam Mahalingam, donated $10,250,000 to the Commission. The contribution was used in GECOM’s Civic and Voter Education Programme, particularly to ensure adequate provisions were in place to facilitate persons living with disabilities and for activities associated with Polling Day.

Further collaboration occurred in 2019 when former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr. Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi, observed the preparations and conduct of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. Zaidi, a former diplomat and Director of Civil Aviation in India, served as Chief Election Commissioner from 2012 to 2017.