THE Claims segment of the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) Claims and Objections period ended yesterday, and several of the Commission’s registration offices remained open well past the 2:00pm cut-off time to cater to every individual who turned up.This was according to Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO), Vishnu Persaud, who also told this newspaper that the response to the Claims period has been good.
Guyana Chronicle understands that during the Claims period, there have been thousands of new registrations, changes and corrections to existing registration information and transfers due to issues related to change of address, etc.
GECOM also facilitated the replacement of identification cards requested and retakes of photographs.
Meanwhile, President Donald Ramotar, in an invited comment yesterday, expressed his satisfaction with the massive turnout by eligible voters to ensure that they are enfranchised in the lead-up to the May 11 General and Regional Elections.
“I understand that there is a surge of people getting transfers. I haven’t spoken to my technical people as yet, but in the time that we had, I believe we have done all we can to enfranchise the Guyanese people,” he told the Guyana Chronicle.
He said that coming closer to the polls, an increasing number of eligible voters are more aware, and are taking advantage of the opportunities provided by GECOM to ensure that come May 11, they are able to cast their votes. The Objections period is expected to end on February 27.
The Claims and Objections period is the next step after a continuous cycle of registration, the last one being the Seventh Cycle of Continuous Registration. The Seventh Cycle of Continuous Registration commenced on November 30, 2014, and allowed persons the opportunity to register for the first time; conduct transfers; and make changes to their registration details.
Prior to the start of the Claims and Objections period, the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) was published to allow for review by eligible voters. The PLE’s publication, as well as several other operational undertakings, had to be completed before a date for the Claims and Objections period was named.
The Claims and Objections period is necessary to finalise the Official List of Electors (OLE), which will facilitate voting on Elections Day. (Vanessa Narine)