GECOM Chair defends meeting diplomats

(Kaieteur News) – Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice Claudette Singh, has defended her recent engagement with five Heads of Diplomatic Missions here, insisting that she did not require prior approval from individual commissioners to meet with the diplomats in the discharge of her responsibilities.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, GECOM pushed back against criticisms raised by Commissioner Vincent Alexander, who questioned Singh’s authority to engage foreign diplomats on electoral matters while the Commission remains unable to convene meetings for more than a year. The Commission said the meeting was held at the request of the five Heads of Mission themselves and was not convened by the Chairperson and Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud, as Alexander had suggested.

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According to GECOM, given the diplomatic community’s support in the preparation for and conduct of the 2025 General and Regional Elections, Singh considered it both appropriate and an institutional obligation to respond positively to their request. “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.