Observation reports at centre of GECOM battle
-two days to go, 866 ballot boxes to be recounted
GECOM commissioners are wrangling over how much time should be spent considering controversial observation reports before making a final declaration of the results for the March 2nd general elections and Chairperson Claudette Singh will likely have to cast the deciding vote on the matter.
The observation reports which in the main contain objections by APNU+AFC agents at the National Recount are seen as a lastditch effort by the governing coalition to have the credibility of the elections impugned. The observation reports have been derided by opposition parties as superfluous and matters which should be addressed at an election petition and not in the recount.
While the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) continues to haggle over a deadline for the completion of the National Recount the secretariat yesterday completed the processing of 90 more ballot boxes for a 23day total of 1,473 out of 2,339.
There are now 866 boxes and two days left in the recount timeline of 25 days.
“It is obvious to all of us that we will go beyond the 25 days, that is obvious and therefore we are consciously considering what date we will put and as I said in principle we have agreed that June 13 will be that date,” Governmentnominated commissioner, Vincent Alexander told reporters outside the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.
Alexander explained that based on a submission from the secretariat the “counting” will be fully completed on June 13 after which the Commission will call on Chief Election
Officer Keith Lowenfield to compile and submit a report of the 10 declarations and observation reports generated by the process.
According to the recount order the Commission shall then deliberate on that report and determine whether it should request that Lowenfield use the data compiled as the basis for the submission of a report under section 96 of the Representation of the People Act Cap 1:03.
The time of this deliberation appears to be the current bone of contention.
According to Alexander some sections of the secretariat have proposed that this deliberation take three days and that June 16 be gazetted as the date by which the Commission will finally declare the results of the March 2 General and Regional Elections.
Alexander however contends that the original order does not provide for a date of declaration to be included and further that limiting the deliberations to three days will shortchange the process.
“These are attempts to specify the dates of declaration and review of those reports… my only disposition is that the order did not provide for that, it provides for a review of the 25 days…We cannot allow those who think we are simply doing a numerical recount to get away with that recount when there are so many other issues that impact the quality of the elections,” he maintained
According to the Commissioner, there must be provided sufficient time to examine the Observation reports.
“If you see the volume of information in those reports it will take time and what people are trying to do is get us to write into the Order a conclusion date that will interfere with thorough consideration of this information,” he said.
Alexander argued that the credibility of the elections relate to what the Observation reports includes therefore a credible declaration of results would consider this information.
He explained that one of those issues is a significant number of unstamped ballots. He did not provide a figure but an examination of the March 4 declarations (these do not include District 4) show that a total of just over 100 were rejected for “want of official mark”. The Certificate issued after recount do not disaggregate rejected ballots.
End date
While Alexander took pains to note that the
Commission will be examining the contents of the Observation reports the People’s Progressive Party/Civic has however contended that there must be an end date.
“We want them to tell us how much time, it cannot be for the rest of the year, they are not fixing a time, this country is on hold, people’s lives are on hold… the team from CARICOM are here they have to go back. The process must come to an end … a responsible Commission has a duty to reveal the timeline,” PPP/C Executive Anil Nandlall stressed.
He added GECOM does not have the legal authority to deal with the issues in the observation reports and therefore does not need time to deliberate or investigate the contentions.
“The law says when there is a recount there is a tabulation and there is a declaration there is no break in time…it’s one process. I don’t know what they have to deliberate about. It’s an arithmetic process nothing else is catered for. Any attempt to take it beyond that will be ultra vires,” the attorney at law stressed.
He noted that the Commission is to be provided an opportunity to verify that what the CEO has submitted is accurate and once that is done the declaration of results is a natural consequence. He repeatedly stressed that GECOM cannot investigate allegations and any attempt to do so would see his party moving to the Court to stop it.
“You don’t have that power…GECOM can’t convert itself into a judge and jury… it has to go to court. Anytime the Commission acts outside of legal powers the court will be there to stop it,” he said.
He also raised concerns about the rate at which the District Four boxes were being recounted.
According to Nandlall his party is of the view that more stations should be assigned to the District which accounts for the largest number of electors. He criticized the “skewed allocation of resources” which he said was not proportional to the work left.
A similar criticism was raised by PPP/C Presidential Candidate
Irfaan Alli who stressed that more than 50% of the workstations should be assigned to Region 4.
The party expressed concern about what is likely to happen if all other Districts are declared leaving only District Four.
“We don’t want what happened at Ashmins to happen again,” Nandlall stressed reference the derailing of the tabulation process on March 5.
Meanwhile information released by Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward show that four boxes were counted for District Seven, eight boxes each for Districts Three and Ten, 11 for District 9, 14 for District Eight, 21 for District 4 and 24 for District Six.
Notably the recount of District 10 began just after lunch yesterday following the completion of the count for District Three. The three stations which had been assigned to count the 355 boxes generated in this District were then reassigned two to the counting of District 10 and one to the counting of District Four. A few hours later when District Seven was completed that station was reassigned to District Six.
In total the Commission has completed the count of five Districts namely Districts One, Two, Three, Five and Seven. More than half of four of the other districts have also been recounted.
Currently there are four stations counting District Four, four counting District Six, two counting District Ten and one each counting Districts Eight and Nine.
The secretariat has also completed the tabulation of 1423 General Statements of Recount and 1,439 Regional Statement of Recounts. Districts One, Two and Five have been completely tabulated and had a Certificate of Recount bearing the signature of party agents issued. The incumbent APNU+AFC Coalition did not sign to the Certificates of District Two and Five in protest at the use of the phrase “valid votes cast.”
The party has argued that numerous votes recorded as valid are actually fraudulent as electors who were dead or out of the jurisdiction on March 2 are recorded as having cast ballots.
Table showing the number of ballot boxes recounted as of Day 23. GECOM has completed the processing of all boxes generated in Districts One, Two, Three, Five and Seven. Of that number the Commission has completed the tabulation and declaration of Districts One, Two and Five. It is expected that the tabulation for Districts Three and Seven will be completed today and declarations signed tomorrow. Also expected today is the completion of the District Eight recount.