by Linda Straker
- Consultations began on 21 May and were scheduled to conclude on 11 June
- Release did not explain reasons for postponing consultations
- Arthur Pierre officially began tenure as Supervisor of Elections 2 June
The Parliamentary Elections Office (PEO) has suspended a series of consultations aimed at informing registered voters about a proposed upgraded registration system that the office intends to procure, acquire and install sometime before the next constitutionally due general elections in 2027.
“The Parliamentary Elections Office (PEO) wishes to advise the public that its consultations on the Voter’s Registration Process in the following areas have been postponed until further notice,” said a news release from the PEO, disseminated by the Government Information Service (GIS). “We regret any inconvenience caused.” The release did not provide an explanation for postponing the consultations which began on 21 May and were scheduled to conclude on 11 June.
The postponement comes 2 days after senior public officer Arthur Pierre officially began his tenure as the new Supervisor of Elections (SoE), replacing Elvis Morain who was appointed to the post in 2019. No reason has been provided for removing Morain from the position. Morain is currently a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education.
Pierre received his Instrument of appointment from Governor-General Dame Cecile La Grenade on 29 May. The constitution mandates that the Supervisor of Elections should be a public officer appointed by the Head of State.
Section 35 of the Constitution states there shall be a Supervisor of Elections whose duty it shall be to exercise general supervision over the registration of voters in elections of the members of the House of Representatives and over the conduct of such elections. “The functions of the office of Supervisor of Elections shall be exercised by the person holding or acting in such public office as may for the time being be designated in that behalf by the Governor-General acting in his own deliberate judgment,” instructs Section 35 Subsection 2, while Subsection 3 mandates that the designated person “shall not enter upon the duties of the office of Supervisor of Elections until he has taken and subscribed the oath of allegiance and the oath of office.”
The release from the GIS announcing his appointment said that Pierre is a qualified teacher who brings to the office a wealth of experience, having worked in the Ministries of Education and Health. Pierre has been a public officer for over 30 years and is currently the Deputy Disaster Coordinator at the National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA). He is a former Drug Control Officer in the Ministry of Education and is also an HIV/AIDS advocate. He has also served as a Presiding Officer with the Parliamentary Elections Office for many years. Though his duties officially began on 2 June he is currently out of state on non-PEO matters.
