Election of constituency councillors, a show of democracy – Min. Bulkan
DPI, Guyana, Thursday, August 2, 2018
Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan reiterated that local communities will be able to thrive with the presence of constituency councillors.
He was speaking to the Department of Public Information (DPI) recently. According to Minister Bulkan, democratically elected constituency councillors have the right to exercise their authority. He said they are basically standing in the gap between the communities and the respective council.
Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan
“We are seeking to ensure that the role of the constituency counsellor is understood and respected, as they are the direct link between the residents in their area and the council that has the responsibility.”
Minister Bulkan described the constituency as the core of the Local Government System, as it allows for residents in those areas to elect persons to represent them. According to the Communities Minister, the legislation even allows for an independent candidate to contest for that seat without belonging to a political party.
He reiterated that it is not the responsibility of Central Government to exclusively manage local communities and as such, citizens must take advantage of their freedom to govern themselves.
November 12 is the date set for Local Government Elections (LGE), it will be the first time that successive LGE is being held as constitutionally due.
According to Minister Bulkan, the government respects the provisions in the constitution and highlighted what he said is the huge financial investment for LGE. $1.2Billion has been allocated for the holding of this year’s LGE.
Local Government Elections (LGE) are held in Guyana using a Mixed Electoral System of Proportional Representation and First-Past-the-Post. Fifty percent or half of the number of councillors of each Local Authority Area will be elected through the Proportional Representation component and the other fifty percent through the First-Past-the-Post or Constituency component.
By: Alexis Rodney
Image: Department of Public Information