Elections

‘He who asserts must prove’ - The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has broken its silence on allegations made by the incumbent APNU+AFC coalition that electors who were dead or out of the jurisdiction on March 2 are recorded as having cast ballots in the general and regional elections. In a statement on Thursday, GECOM Chairperson Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh stressed that the burden of proof lies with the APNU+AFC. “I am of the view that, he who asserts must prove,” Singh stressed while indicating that no decision on the matter has been made at the level of the Commission. She explained that she is personally monitoring the trends based on the allegations in the observation reports noting that when there are considerable deliberations and decisions at the Commission in relation to claims of anomalies, the outcome would be officially communicated to the political parties and other stakeholders.

Granger reiterates he will accept GECOM’s declaration of results - President David Granger last Sunday said that his APNU+AFC government will accept the Guyana Elections Commission’s declaration of the result of the March 2nd General and Regional Elections. “As President of Guyana and leader of the government, it is my policy that any declaration coming from the chairman of GECOM will be accepted by the Government of Guyana. I speak for the Government of Guyana,” Granger told reporters at a press briefing following his first visit to the site of the recount at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). Granger’s statement means that all eyes will now be focused on GECOM Chair Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, who will cast the decisive vote whenever a final result goes before the Commission for certification. The caretaker President’s response appeared to jar with one by de facto Attorney General, Basil Williams on Saturday that GECOM does not have the power to render illegitimate the declarations made by the 10 Returning Officers (ROs), including that of embattled Region Four RO Clairmont Mingo. Two declarations were made by Mingo. The first was found by the High Court to be null and void and the second one faces the same jeopardy as contempt of court proceedings were filed in connection with it.

Carter Center ‘deeply disappointed’ at not being able to return - After weeks of waiting for positive word, the US-based Carter Center last Thursday expressed disappointment at not being able to return and observe the recount of votes from Guyana’s March 2 general elections and rapped the APNU+AFC government over the shutout. In a statement, the Center said it “is disappointed that the government of Guyana chose not to demonstrate a genuine commitment to transparency by ensuring that all duly accredited organisations, including The Carter Center, be allowed to conduct their work.” The Center said it had been seeking approval for the return of two accredited observers. Caretaker President David Granger’s assertion on Sunday that the denial of permission is due to COVID-19 restrictions has been seen as not credible as the government has granted permission for hundreds of oil workers to enter Guyana and is also now preparing to receive flights of Guyanese stranded overseas. Significantly, in its statement, the Center maintained its position that voting on March 2nd was smooth and orderly and trouble only emerged at the tabulation of results for District Four. “While the Center and other international observers indicated in public statements that preparations for elections were conducted satisfactorily and that voting procedures on election day met international standards, it found that the tabulation process lacked transparency in Region 4 and therefore the tabulation process was not credible and did not meet international standards. The Center found that tabulation in March was conducted well in Guyana’s nine other regions”, the Center said.