GECOM Chair, Justice of Appeal (Ret’d) Claudette Singh has acknowledged that urgent attention is needed to resolve the composition of the elections commission.
“Indeed, appropriate legislative attention, if considered necessary by the relevant constitutional authorities, may provide a means of bringing clarity and resolution to the matter”, the chair said yesterday, according to a press release.
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has not met for more than a year because of Singh’s view that the results of last year’s general election require the selection of new members to represent the opposition. The Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed has submitted proposed names of commissioners to President Irfaan Ali who has not responded to the correspondence.
Singh’s position was contained in a GECOM press release responding to a November 8th letter in Kiskadee Watch from opposition-appointed member Vincent Alexander. GECOM defended Singh’s meeting with five heads of diplomatic missions and rejected Alexander’s description of the institution as “comatose”, while acknowledging that its failure to meet since September 2025 has constrained decisions on important electoral matters.
GECOM said its Secretariat continued to provide registration services and undertake authorised administrative work, although matters requiring the commission’s collective deliberation and approval remained affected.
Alexander questioned Singh’s authority to engage diplomats while the commission was not meeting. He accused her of unilaterally freezing its work and called for judicial or legislative intervention.
He also raised concerns about the submission of budget estimates without collective consideration, delayed electoral reforms, preparations for Local Government Elections, administrative manuals and critical vacancies.
GECOM rejected his assertion that Singh and Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud had convened the diplomatic meeting.
It said the five heads of mission requested the engagement and that Singh considered it appropriate, and an institutional obligation, to respond, given the diplomatic community’s support before and during the 2025 General and Regional Elections.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Chairman does not require prior clearance or authorisation from individual Members of the Commission to engage with stakeholders, including Heads of Diplomatic Missions, in the discharge of her responsibilities as Chairman,” the statement said.
GECOM added that similar engagements took place during preparations for the 2025 elections without commissioners participating.
It distinguished between policy issues requiring commission decisions and operational matters concerning election administration. Singh had consistently exercised restraint when discussing matters requiring collective deliberation, it maintained.
Where operational matters arose, the Chief Election Officer participated to provide technical and administrative briefings, GECOM said, adding that this was the approach adopted at the recent meeting.
Reserved
It therefore rejected suggestions that Singh acted without authority, represented decisions which the commission had not made, or convened an engagement to determine matters reserved for the commission.
Kiskadee Watch reported on November 6 that Singh and Persaud had met the previous day with US Ambassador Nicole Theriot, British High Commissioner Joe Fisher, Canadian High Commissioner Deborah Gomes-Schultz, EU Ambassador Luca Pierantoni and French Ambassador Olivier Plançon.
The missions described discussions covering observer recommendations from the 2025 elections, electoral institutions and priorities ahead of the next local elections.
Addressing the prolonged absence of commission meetings, GECOM said this should not be confused with the institution ceasing to function.
Its Secretariat continued to maintain registration records, provide services and strengthen administrative procedures and operational systems, it said.
“Although the absence of Commission meetings has undoubtedly constrained the consideration and determination of matters requiring the Commission’s collective deliberation and approval, it is wholly inaccurate to suggest that GECOM, as an institution, has ceased functioning,” the statement said.
On the composition dispute, GECOM said Singh remained guided by Article 161(3)(b) of the Constitution. It said that her earlier reference to awaiting the convening of Parliament was based on an expectation that, following the elections and the emergence of a new Opposition Leader, the appointment and composition of opposition representation would receive urgent attention.
GECOM maintained that Singh’s position reflected the need for a constitutionally sound composition, rather than an arbitrary suspension of operations.
“Nevertheless, the Chairman acknowledges, as does Commissioner Alexander, that urgent attention is required to resolve the outstanding matter concerning the composition of the Commission,” it said.
The deadlock follows the changed opposition configuration after the 2025 elections. Opposition Leader Mohamed has nominated attorneys Roysdale Forde SC, Siand Dhurjon and Damien Da Silva to replace the incumbent opposition-nominated commissioners.
Mohamed formally advised President Ali of his nominees on June 30 and wrote again on August 7 without receiving a substantive response.
The incumbent opposition-appointed commissioners—Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman—have rejected calls to resign, maintaining that their tenure is legally protected.
Yesterday’s statement also addressed the outstanding work identified by Alexander: evaluation of the 2025 elections, further modernisation, implementation of observer recommendations, preparations for Local Government Elections, finalisation of administrative manuals and appointments to critical vacancies.
GECOM recognised their importance but said some activities fell within the Secretariat’s mandate while others required policy direction or formal approval from the commission.
The Secretariat would continue work within its authority and operational capacity, it said. Matters requiring commission decisions had to proceed through the appropriate institutional processes.
It rejected the suggestion that every matter awaiting collective consideration necessarily reflected administrative inaction or failure by the Secretariat.
The distinction has direct consequences for Local Government Elections. In August, GECOM disclosed that its Secretariat had completed a comprehensive work plan but could not activate it without a commission decision. It also warned that timelines might require adjustment depending on when approval was obtained.
GECOM said the technological and procedural improvements introduced for the 2025 elections demonstrated its institutional capacity. It pledged to maintain essential services and pursue improvements not requiring prior commission decisions, while urging resolution of the composition issue so collective deliberations could resume without further delay. Local Government Elections are due before the end of the year but this deadline cannot now be met.
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