Get on with the recount!

The governmentnominated Commissioners on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are straining the patience and tolerance of the nation. Following the agreement between President David Granger and Bharrat Jagdeo to have a recount of the total votes cast in the General and Regional Elections, the governmentnominated Commissioners asked to be privy to the agreement so that they can satisfy themselves about certain issues. No sooner was this done and the Commission had unanimously agreed to a recount, an injunction was obtained, by a candidate of the APNU+AFC, stopping the recount. That injunction was discharged on Tuesday 31st March 2020 by the Full Court.

There are currently no legal restraints prohibiting GECOM from giving effect to its decision to have a full recount of the votes cast. The pussyfooting by the government-nominated Commissioners must cease. If they need a written decision of the Full Court to understand that the injunction has been discharged, then they should not be sitting on the Commission.

The Chairman of GECOM Justice Claudette Singh must bring an end to this charade. Her reputation and integrity, which have been called into question, since March 2nd 2020, are on the line. She once said that all the oil in

Guyana could not buy her integrity. She has publicly, and in submissions to the Court, committed to a recount of all votes. She must do her duty and salvage her reputation from further taint. Her actions over the next few days will determine whether she will be true to the commitments she gave to the court and to the nation.

More than democracy is now at stake. The nation is battling a deadly virus. An inept political leadership is providing little comfort that it can reduce the disease’s deaths and transmission during this ongoing political crisis triggered by the elections. There is no time for further pussyfooting. Get on with the recount! (Kaieteur News)