Opposition wants live stream of ballots recount

GEORGETOWN (CMC):

THE MAIN opposition People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) said on Saturday that it had renewed a call for a live stream of the recount of ballots in the disputed March 2 regional and general elections, but was not confident that the request would be entertained.

Former Attorney General and PPP/C candidate Anil Nandlall, speaking to reporters following a meeting between political parties and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), nonetheless said that the party is committed to the recounting exercise, which would determine the winner of the polls.

Both the PPP/C and the ruling coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), are claiming victory in the elections that had been observed by teams from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of American States, the Carter Centre, and the Commonwealth, among others.

The re-count is being observed by a threemember CARICOM team and Nandlall said he is hoping that the other observer teams would be allowed into the country to observe the new process.

“All we want is that the process be conducted fairly and transparently. It should be seen by as many people as possible to avoid skulduggery, and the process be done accurately so that in the end, we get an accurate result and the ballots cast by the people on March 2 are actually counted and the results declared based on upon those ballots.”

Nandlall said neither he nor the party was prepared to speculate going forward regarding the recounting exercise. “We will have to cross that bridge when we reach it.”

He said prominent among the several proposals made to GECOM during the meeting was live-streaming.

“Every single person in the room advanced a case for live-streaming, explaining how it would enhance transparency. It will enhance fairness, and it will boost the confidence of the system,” he said, adding that not surprisingly, the only opposition to the request came from the political parties affiliated to the APNU.