GECOM CEO: Possibility of district declarations by midnight

Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Vishnu Persaud, has indicated that the Commission is operationally prepared to host elections on September 1.
Addressing members of the media at a press conference at the GECOM office this afternoon, Persaud and other officials gave an update on the commission’s progress and readiness, while providing clarity on several issues.
Persaud indicated that there is a possibility that district declarations can be made by the night after elections, as GECOM is currently conducting trials since it has never done this before.
“On the 2nd there is a possibility that the district declarations could happen by the night of the 2nd. We are doing some trials as to how long it would take…at the actual tabulation, there will be representatives of the political parties who are authorised by law to be a part of the process. We do not know, we cannot say how their involvement can affect the timelines and therefore we will not be able to say we will be able to give you results on the night of September 1,” he said.
Persaud stated that only the commission can make a declaration for all 10 regions.
With voting for the disciplined forces just days away, officials noted that there is no entitlement for them to vote by proxy.
Persaud also indicated that it is virtually impossible for anyone to vote twice, assuring that the ink cannot be removed easily. He explained that electors must dip their fingers before dropping their ballots into the ballot box.
“The manufacturers and suppliers have given assurance that it is not possible to remove the ink easily, unless something was deliberately applied to the finger beforehand,” he said.
Persaud added that electors will be required to clean their fingers beforehand.
With regard to voting close to the border, Persaud noted that GECOM has engaged with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF), both of which have provided guidelines for polling day and guaranteed security.
He further noted that supernumerary officers have been appointed and that GECOM has confidence in their ability to deliver.
He also assured that information clerks will be stationed at the entrances of polling stations to make the process easier for electors.
Officials indicated that they have received 3,972 applications to vote by proxy; however, no approved figure has been finalised at this point.
GECOM Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, noted that there will be a total of 2,790 polling stations and 1,151 polling places – of which 62 are private residences.
The officials assured that there are no political associations with the private polling places.