Only 28% voters turnout in G/town …PPP wins Buxton
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has announced that the voter turnout in Georgetown was very poor for this year’s Local Government Election. In fact, according to GECOM, only 28 percent of the Georgetown voting population actually exercised their constitutional right in this, the second LGE to be held after a pause of over two decades. However, while GECOM was able to announce the voter turnout in Georgetown, there is still no official information as to the turnout, or even the wins in other areas. GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, told this newspaper that those results would not be available.
During a brief telephone interview, Ward explained: “We do not have an overall percentage as yet. We have about 15 to 20 more Local Authority Areas (LAAs) to plug into our database; because, what is happening is when the Returning Officers bring in the various Statements of Poll and everything from their various LAA, there is a verification process to be followed. “After that process is completed, we then plug it into a wide database. So, once we complete those, we will be able to give you the full number in terms of the total voter turnout as well as the percentage. “
Ward continued: “Please, just bear with us; we are putting accuracy in front of expediency so by tomorrow you should have all the information.”
At a press conference hosted yesterday at Freedom House, Leader of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Bharrat Jagdeo, boasted significant improvement at LGE and even victory in some areas and towns. In fact, he told the media that the PPP/C has won areas that it did not win at the last LGE.
Jagdeo declared his party the winner in several constituencies including five of the ten townships in the country, with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) winning the remaining half.
Jagdeo indicated that his party won the majority of the seats at Mabaruma, Anna Regina, Lethem, and Rose Hall, and all of the seats at Corriverton.
While APNU took control of Linden, Bartica, New Amsterdam, Mahdia and Georgetown, Jagdeo indicated that the fight was pretty close in Bartica, a town that is considered a stronghold of the People’s National Congress/ Reform and, by extension, the APNU.
Jagdeo said that PPP/C secured victories in the out of town areas despite robust campaigning by the Government in certain areas and attempts to “gerrymander” the boundaries. Jagdeo appeared quite impressed with the improvements his party was able to make in Georgetown winning seven seats on the Mayor and City Council, compared to the two which they won in 2016.
He also claimed victory in other known PNC strongholds, such as the Buxton/ Foulis Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).
Jagdeo told the media: “This was a massive win for the PPP … We practically doubled the margin from 24,000 votes or so to maybe 46,000 something votes.”
Nevertheless, he admitted that PPP/C was not able to infiltrate some amount of traditional APNU or PNC voters. He said that many of them said:“We are not voting for you, but we are not voting for them either. “However, Jagdeo vowed to continue knocking on the doors of these persons as the PPP/C gears to begin its campaign for General and Regional Elections.”
(Kaieteur News)