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– hears of new round of registrationThree opposition political parties say that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) could be bowing to demands of the ruling party and the government to re-open the Claims and Objections period to allow more persons to register.This, the parties say, could call into question the final voters’ list for regional and general elections this year.The Claims and Objections period ended on June 9, and the chairman GECOM, Dr Steve Surujbally, said that the Commission had taken a decision not to extend the deadline. One of the objectives of the Claims and Objections period is to allow for persons who have not registered to do so.“GECOM now seems to be ready to acquiesce to bend to the will of the government and the ruling Party.“The need to re-open another round of the Claims and Objections is pregnant with the possibility of irreparable danger to the integrity of the final voters list,” the parties said in a letter to Dr Surujbally.The letter was signed by representatives of the main opposition PNCR, the Alliance for Change and the Working People’s Alliance.The parties,Cheap NFL Jerseys Store, in their letter, said that they have received reports from their field representatives that GECOM has commenced preparations in the field for a new round of Claims and Objections for a period of 13 days. The parties have not been advised of such operations.By letter of May 30, 2011 and prior to the conclusion of the Claims and Objections period the Opposition Political Parties repeatedly said that they apprised GECOM of difficulties encountered by persons attempting to access source documents in a timely manner to enable them to be adequately accommodated to effect their registration by the deadline of June 9.At a meeting on June 3, the parties reiterated their concerns and said there were expecting to receive GECOM’s advice as to how those could be resolved in the interest of the potential elector.The parties noted that Dr Surujbally had promised to explore with the General Registrar’s Office some modalities for resolving outstanding difficulties that the registrants were encountering and to apprise them of GECOM’s decision.“Our diligent efforts to ensure that not a single qualified and eligible elector is left off the List (due to the lack of necessary source documents) are well known,” the parties stated.Notwithstanding what they said was their earnest representations,Wholesale NBA Jerseys, the parties pointed out that GECOM determined that the existing conditions,NFL Jerseys Clearance, rules and previously established guidelines would have to prevail and registrants would have to personally ensure that they satisfied those requirements to be able to have their names appear on the Voters’ list.The incumbent People’s Progressive party (PPP) had written to GECOM regarding concerns that a considerable number of persons were not registered, but seems sure the elections body would find a solution.The joint opposition political parties had expressed fears that a considerable number of Guyanese could have been disenfranchised due to no fault of theirs, owing mainly to the fact that they were without the necessary source documents.PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar said that the PPP had a review with its main organizers across the country and found that the situation is similar to what the opposition parties reported.The Joint Opposition Political Parties said the main concern of their representatives, that a considerable number of citizens who have applied to the General Registrar Office (GRO) for their birth certificates (the main document needed to register) are still waiting in line.According to the chairman of GECOM, Dr Steve Surujbally,Cheap Jerseys Supply, the Commission had documented the particulars of the approximately 38,wholesale jerseys,000 potential voters who could not apply for registration, because they were not in possession of source documents.He said that the Commission shared this with the General Registrar’s Office and the political parties in Parliament.Dr Surujbally said that the Commission had been pleading with people to get their source documents in order for six years now.During two phases of Claims and Objections (under which persons could have registered if they weren’t, or make changes) approximately 80,000 persons more were registered – more than double the approximately 38,000 persons in question.Ramotar said that part of the problem was that many people waited for the “last minute” to get registered. He said this is evident from the fact that in the month of Claims and Objections,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, almost 17 thousand persons were registered,The opposition political parties say they have the legitimate expectation that the preparation of the upcoming elections is free of any hint of impropriety and partiality.“There is grave concern that the perception of political bias may taint the entire process, especially since we have already received reports that even as this matter currently engages the attention of the Commissioners, arrangements are being pursued at a logistical and operational level on the ground to permit for the holding of an unprecedented and new process of Claims and Objections,NFL Jerseys Supply,” the opposition parties stated. |
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