APNU+AFC seeks answers on voting irregularities
-PPP/C says coalition desperate in face of defeat
Despite the ongoing recount by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) determining that it won Region Seven at the March 2 polls, the incumbent APNU+AFC coalition has refused to sign the certification as it claims that the voting district is one in which “massive voter fraud” was perpetrated.
In a video statement released to the public yesterday, Joseph Harmon, APNU+AFC Campaign Manager, identified the four hinterland voting districts — One, Seven, Eight and Nine — as being the locations for what he called a PPP/C special operation and demanded answers of GECOM.
“Over the period 26th to the 28th of May, our agents have identified and from GECOM’s own records confirmed that there was massive voter fraud in Districts Seven and Eight, and our election agent has written the Chairman of GECOM calling for urgent investigation and a response before the tabulated votes in the regions are announced,” he claimed, before adding that GECOM has recorded over 83 irregularities. “You have a right to know what happened to your votes and why persons who were not entitled to vote, voted at your elections. You have a right to demand of your Election Commission, answers to questions raised by your political representative. We cannot sail calmly into the end of the recount while your concerns go unanswered,” he said in the statement, where he also noted that 11 letters from the coalition to the commission remain unanswered.
After having claimed it had won the general elections, APNU+AFC is now claiming massive fraud as a recount of votes nears its end. Its claims of irregularities have been rejected by the other contestants as baseless and an attempt to impugn the integrity of the elections as the certification of a final result by GECOM looms.
On what was initially projected to be the final day of the national recount of votes from the March 2 general and regional polls, GECOM yesterday completed 84 more ballot boxes, bringing its 25 day total to 1,639 of 2,339.
There are now ballots from 700 boxes left to be recounted before the new deadline of June 13, 2020.
GECOM has so far completed the recount of votes cast in six of the 10 Electoral Districts and issued Certificates of Tabulation for four of them.
The latest certificates to be issued are for the tabulation of the votes in District Seven. The APNU+AFC coalition has won the District, with 4,813 votes at the General Elections compared to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C) 3,728. APNU+AFC has also won the Regional Elections in the District with 4,839 votes, while the PPP/C has secured 3,703.
Harmon, however, attempted to present specific cases of fraud in the district, claiming that in Ballot Box 7079, 352 ballots were issued on Election Day, yet 377 were discovered in the box at the recount.
This claim was swiftly debunked by the PPP/C, which released the Statement of Recount for the Ballot Box in question.
According to the Recount Statement, there were 227 votes cast, with 223 being deemed valid and four ballots rejected.
Wrong box
Harmon also claimed that in Ballot Box 7003, the wrong list of electors was found in the box but the observation report released by the PPP/C shows that rather than the wrong list the wrong box was examined.
“The Observation Report for Ballot Box 7003 explains that Ballot Box 7002 was brought out, instead of Ballot Box 7003 and this “resulted in a mix up” that was corrected. The Observation Report also said, “No other error was found in this box,” the PPP/C stressed in an accompanying statement.
“The APNU+AFC Coalition seems intent on baiting [GECOM], with its fallacious claims, into illegally following it down a path that will, again, delay the declaration of election results by another few months,” the party said.
“It merits repeating that the APNU+AFC Coalition claimed victory on the basis of the results declared prior to the start of the national recount, embracing the fraudulent Region 4 declaration. With the recount progressing and the fraud perpetrated in Region 4 being exposed, the Coalition has changed its tune, now claiming electoral fraud by the PPP/C,” it added, while charging that the situation underscores the desperation of the coalition in the face of an electoral defeat.
The party did not address the other claims made by Harmon, who also contended that 50 counterfoils were missing from the ballots issued for Box 7024 and seven extra ballots were found in Box 7060.
In that same box, 7060, Harmon claimed that the list of electors ticked off for another station was found.
Additionally, he said, there has been a flagrant misuse of oaths of identity.
“This meant that there were persons who casted ballots without any identification and without evidence of an oath of identity. There were 326 such cases identified in 27 Ballot Boxes… these emanate from GECOM’s own records at the recount and for which we have written requesting an investigation,” Harmon stressed.
For District Eight, Harmon claimed there were 83 cases where persons without ID cards and oaths of identity were allowed to vote.
“We believe this is proof of electoral fraud and tampering of the ballot boxes and call for an immediate investigation to be launched as these impacts the credibility of the electoral process,” he said.
GECOM, however, remained silent on the allegations yesterday. Repeated requests by reporters for either the Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield or the Chairperson Claudette Singh to publicly address issues raised remain unanswered.
Meanwhile, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward confirmed that of the 84 boxes completed yesterday, six were from District Eight, 11 from District Nine, 15 from District Ten, 25 from District Four and 27 from District Six.
She further noted that 1,593 General Statements of Recount and 1,597 Regional Statements of Recount have so far been tabulated.