Guyana ruling party SG discusses election biometrics saga with GECOM

The Secretary General of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), currently the ruling party in Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, was due to meet with officials of the country’s elections commission (GECOM) today February 4 to exchange on elections related matters and the lingering question about deploying a biometric voter verification system.

At the time of this report, there were no updates on the meeting, which comes at a moment when opposition parties and civil society actors have been pressuring GECOM to take steps towards the implementation of biometrics.

Village Voice suggests in a report that the PPP, though a historical supporter of the idea of introducing biometrics, has suddenly become so reluctant in pushing for the idea lately.

While those advocating the use of biometric verification argue that it will curb election irregularities like those observed in the 2006 and 2020 elections where dead people voted, Jagdeo is quoted as suggesting during a press conference last Thursday that the call from opposition parties is a strategy to cause a postponement of the polls.

In the press conference, Jagdeo is said to have defended GECOM’s position on the challenges that lie ahead should the country undertake to introduce such a system now, adding that the GECOM’s leadership has upped its abilities to oversee elections that are transparent and credible.

In the opinion of Jagdeo, GECOM has the possibility of effectively fighting against vices such as impersonation which the opposition believes a biometric verification system will be able to effortlessly and better address.

Mid last month, GECOM Chairperson Justice Claudette Singh (Rtd) stirred anger among opposition circles when she stated that the idea of introducing biometrics in time for this year’s general elections in the country was not feasible because such a move needed a constitutional amendment.

The opposition slammed her outing, but GECOM followed-up with a statement, buttressing the Chairperson’s argument and accusing the opposition of only focussing on the good side of biometrics without considering the challenges that will come with its implementation.

In the midst of the controversy, opposition leader Aubrey Norton has suggested that experts be hired to determine exactly how long it will require for the biometric system to be implemented.

Speaking last week, as quoted by Demerara Waves, Norton, who’s also a member of the National Assembly, said it was important “to seek proposals from expert firms on using fingerprint biometrics in Guyana for registration and voting.”

He added that a move like that will be the “only acceptable basis” on which a decision on whether or not to implement the biometric system should be taken, given that the GECOM Chairperson has no experience in biometrics projects.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  elections  |  Guyana  |  voter registration