“They are already starting to make excuses for the massive defeat they will face”- Jagdeo

–dismisses PNC/R Chairman’s claims that gerrymandering will affect LGE

The PNC-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has already started to make excuses for the massive defeat it will face at the upcoming June 12 Local Government Elections (LGE).

This was the position of General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, during a press conference at Freedom House on Thursday.

He was at the time addressing the Chairman of the PNC/R, Shurwayne Holder’s claim that the gerrymandering of boundaries can have an impact on the APNU’s chances of winning several Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) at the LGEs.

The PNC/R chairman said the party would not win a majority of the NDCs because several constituency boundaries have been merged to its disadvantage.

Dr Jagdeo noted that this is another lie being peddled by the opposition, as it has never boasted an overwhelming majority in NDCs, even before the boundaries were adjusted by then Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan.

“They are already starting to make excuses for the massive defeat they will face. If you do not contest in 25 out of 80 local authority areas, and you don’t contest more than half of the 610 seats, then how can you win a majority of the areas?” the general secretary questioned.

In June 2018, Bulkan published in the Official Gazette an order that saw the creation of seven new local authority areas and the restructuring of 14 others. In 2022, the PPP/C government decided to revert to the 2016 local district boundaries and widen others to ensure greater representation of Guyanese.

Even when Bulkan changed the boundaries in 2018, all that happened now is that the boundaries changed back to their pre-2018 period, mostly, we won the overwhelming number of local government bodies across the country,” he added.

The general secretary said this is simply another tactic added to the slew being utilised by the opposition to frustrate the smooth process of the elections.