False and misleading: GECOM rejects claim army could serve as presiding officers

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Friday dismissed reports that members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) could be appointed as presiding officers in next week’s General and Regional Elections, calling the claims “false” and “misleading.”

GECOM said presiding officers are “civilian functionaries appointed through a public recruitment process. Each officer undergoes mandatory training in line with the Representation of the People Act and established GECOM protocols.”

“There is no provision in the electoral framework, either legislatively or operationally, that allows for military personnel, including members of the GDF, to serve as Presiding Officers or to carry out polling day responsibilities on behalf of GECOM,” the commission said in a statement.

Reports surfaced earlier this week that soldiers might be drafted to fill gaps in staffing. GECOM acknowledged that some individuals had declined offers to serve as presiding officers but stressed, “this did not and does not translate in those persons declining appointment altogether. Simply put, those persons were placed in lower positions within which they feel comfortable to serve.”

It added that the commission “has been proactively managing its recruitment programme and remains on track to ensure all required positions are filled by trained and vetted civilians.”

The commission urged media outlets and commentators to verify information before publication, warning that “any suggestion that military personnel would be deployed in electoral roles is not only inaccurate, but also misleading and irresponsible, especially at a time when public confidence and calm are critical.”