Dear Editor,
PERMIT me space to openly call out the ABCEU countries on their lack of SWIFT response to the violence perpetrated against women during this post-election debacle. One would believe that these countries’ representatives would pen statements condemning these attacks with the same expediency that they have been forwarding PPP talking points. The most recent and publicised attack was on APNU+AFCs Carol Joseph by ANUG’s Jonathan Yearwood.

Regardless of circumstance, nothing justifies gender-based violence. We all have our differences in opinion, we stand for different things, we represent different sides of the political spectrum, and that’s okay. One thing we must hold heads in complete agreement of is the absolute condemnation of violence against women. There is no excuse whatsoever. It sets a dangerous precedent for other young men (and women) that allows them the space to believe that in some world in this galaxy, hitting women is remotely acceptable. We must condemn any and all acts of violence that resemble this. I urge all political players to desist from similar behaviour.

You cannot become the system which you hate. An attack on one is an attack on all. The representatives of the ABCEU countries have failed miserably in the swift condemnation of attacks on children, media personnel and now women. I respectfully urge these esteemed men and women who enjoy the comforts of Guyana, which many of us cannot yet afford, to be truly unbiased in their representation of the facts. We see you. We are watching. This is greater than any one of us. This is a cry for Guyana, a Guyana that belongs to all Guyanese.

Regards
Nateshia McKenzie

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-15-2020

By Melina Harris 

All the  world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players”- William Shakespeare, As You Like It. Our recent elections drama bas illuminated some concerning aspects of Guy­ana’s place on the world stage. As a young democ­racy and former colonial nation, the heavy involvement of the international community in our internal affairs as a sovereign nation is worrisome. 

Even more so when one considers the shared common history existing between Guyana and the former colonialists; namely, the ABCE nations. The recent regional and general elections resented an invitation to those nations to send Observer Groups to observe Guyana’s elections processes and there­after prepare reports based on recommendations aimed at strengthening and improving our democracy. 

The would-be promulgators and protectors of democracy, the ABCE nations, are often deeply involved in the politics of developing nations and democracies so it has almost become custom­ary for their presence within our political landscape to be expected. These powerful nations have social, political and economic interests in Guyana and more importantly, her resources. Our vast oil reserves buried offshore, signalled the attention of the oligarchs, mercenaries and enforcers of the international community, along with the merry band of ABCE nations and many of their acquired comrades. As such, Guyana hosted the largest contingent of international Observer Groups in what has been one of the most controversial elections we have endured. 

The elections process was sadly highjacked by the opposition and their cronies who have, at every step of the process, sought to ob­fuscate, obstruct and derail orderly conduct and estab­lished processes. The criminal invasion of GECOM, the alleged attempts to tamper with GECOM records, the dissemination of false state­ments of poll, the incitement of civil unrest and overall wanton disregard for the rule of law. These are not minor infractions, so it boggles my mind, that these incidents escaped the ever watchful eyes of the international observer groups, who have been all too quick to comment on elections matters as they developed. 

What has transpired has not gone unnoticed by Guyanese who are concerned that the international community, through their observer groups, have over stepped their mark and wholly out­stayed their welcome. This past week, the narrative has been taken over by these groups and the internation all community through their willingness to issues strongly worded, threatening, statement against Guyana under the pretense of upholding the rule of law and democracy for Guyanese people. Guyanese should not be intimidat­ed when all of us are more than aware of the underlying conflicts which have affected these elections. 

Furthermore, the stony silence on the part of the international observer groups in relation to the actions of the opposition is extremely telling, Why has there been no statement condemning the actions of the opposition and their supporters? Why have these groups only focused on fuelling the oppositionled narrative of electoral fraud? We are only left to conclude that certain observer groups are no more impartial than the political parties they secretly support. 

For instance, the Organ­isation of American States Observer Group led by for­mer Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, has issued a number of strongly-worded statements and then finally decided to walk out of the long-awaited Region Four verification process .. After the OAS Observer Group walked out of the verification process on Friday, they went on to issue a statement. The statement noted that, ‘The process employed by the Returning Officer for Region Four is not transparent and, based on the numbers that have emanated since the process was first disrupted, is unlikely to pro­duce a result that is credible and is able to command pub­lic confidence.” They con­tinued that “To date, neither the Chief Elections Officer nor APNU has challenged the authenticity of the state­ments of poll published by the PPP/Civic by producing the copies in their possession. 1l1e implications are deeply troubling and make it all the more necessary for the Re­turning Officer to display the statements of poll on which he is relying.” It might be redundant but why should APNU or GECOM have to challenge publicly, the statements of poll published by the opposition? Neither APNU nor PPP/C are respon­sible for disseminating SOPs, that’s GECOM’s remit. Ad­ditionally, several smaller parties also contesting the elections noted that the SOPs they received from the PPP/C are different from the origi­nals displayed at d1e polling stations. And finally, here is the kicker; ‘The legitimacy of any government that is in­stalled in these circumstances will be open to question. This would be a terrible blow to the country’s democracy. The people of Guyana do not deserve this.” Indeed, the people of Guyana do not deserve this. 

The actions and state­ments of the Carter Center have also not gone unnoticed. 

Again, Guyanese know and understand exactly what is going on here. Deep pock­ets are very far reaching and the merry band of saviours beating down upon our shores proves that much. In the meantime, our very own Private Sector Commis­sion, has been brandishing the names of the ‘powers of the world’ is a poorly made attempt to create a narrative of mounting in­ternational pressure against Guyana due to the handing of these elections. Like some misinfom1ed Guyanese who believe that the world’s pow­ers really, truly want the best for Guyana and Guyanese, the Private Sector Comm is­sion might do well to invest its strengths into matters in house. Many businesses remain clo:sed although ten­sions have been de-escalated for days now. Stop the fear mongering and open back up the economy. 

Finally, whilst we must recognise that there is room for improvement, Guyanese do not need their hands to be held whilst we make our improvements. The privilege of being invited to observe our intimate constitutional processes is indeed a privilege and not a right. The former colonisers and would-he neo-colonialists must he remined that they are guests in our house. Otherwise, like the OAS Obser er Group, their out­bound flights await them at CJlA.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-15-2020

Dear Editor,

IT continues to upset me that the calls for democratic values have fallen on deaf ears when it comes to obtaining justice for the alleged past misdeeds under the PPP/C government.
The OAS, Canadian, American, British and EU government and non-governmental organisations have spoken about veiled threats of sanctions and “isolation” as a response with regard to the elections.

However, where were they when  journalists such as Mr. Ronald Waddell was murdered for his democratic right to the free press? Was not that a violation of democratic values by murdering a journalist in cold blood for opposing the PPP/C? As far as I know, for the past five years no government official has ordered anyone to assassinate or throw faeces at critics.

If one could argue that such claims are hearsay under the American rule of law, the best paid lawyer in America cannot deny that Mark Benschop was thrown in jail under trumped-up charges for opposing the PPP/C government. Bharrat Jagdeo proclaimed that “I hope that [Benschop] learned his lesson” when he ‘pardoned’ Benschop for the trumped-up charges several years later. Where was the condemnation from the international agencies?
Mr. Freddie Kissoon admitted that President Granger is not corrupt, and that he was being victimised for what he wrote while the PPP/C was in power.

Can any journalist imagine what could happen theoretically if the PPP/C manages to continue where they left off? The extra billions of annual oil and gas revenue will embolden the PPP/C tyrants to suppress dissent in the most undemocratic ways. Journalists will not be safe under a PPP/C government. Mr. Ronald Waddell’s death, and the politically motivated victimisation of Mark Benschop and Freddie Kissoon are testaments to that statement.

Regards,
Riaz Hamid

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-15-2020

– Harmon says ‘no finger’ has been pointed to APNU+AFC about alleged electoral fraud

THE incumbent A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition has said that it respects the independence and authority of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and while some stakeholders might want to “interfere” in the work of the commission, the coalition has always taken the position not to do so.

This was according to Co-Chair of the APNU+AFC campaign, Joseph Harmon, during a press briefing at the coalition’s headquarters, on Saturday.

It was reported that after more than a week of confrontations and legal actions, the votes for District Four were finally declared by the district’s Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo, on Friday night, amid heavy police presence at the GECOM High Street, Kingston Headquarters.

According to his declarations, in the General Elections, the APNU+AFC Coalition secured 136, 057 votes in District Four (Demerara-Mahaica), while the PPP/C raked in 77, 231 votes. A New United Guyana (ANUG) secured the third largest number of votes with 1,387 votes, followed by Change Guyana with 919 votes; Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) with 761 votes and The Citizenship Initiative, 463 votes. The People’s Republic Party got 389 votes and The New Movement (TNM) 128 votes, while the United Republican Party only managed to rake in 90 votes.

In the Regional Elections, the APNU+AFC secured 130, 289 votes while the PPP/C raked in 74, 877 votes. Change Guyana received 914 votes while 752 votes were cast in favour of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP); 401 in favour of the People’s Republic Party; 125 in favour of the Victory of the People Party and 98 votes in favour of the United Republican Party.

“We meet at the conclusion of the count for the votes cast for Region Four. This, being the final of 10 declarations, shows that the APNU+AFC has a substantial lead but we await the final declaration by the CEO (Chief Elections Officer). We trust that the next steps can be completed in a timely manner so the country can return to normalcy and the march to progress can continue,” said Harmon.

He believes that there should be no winners and losers after an election, in determining the way forward for Guyana. And, in this regard, the coalition maintained that the management of the electoral process was the sole responsibility of GECOM, since no one else has that statutory responsibility. “We also recognise the independence and authority of the court and respect its rulings. While some want to seek to intervene and interfere in the work of those independent bodies (GECOM and the court), APNU has always taken the position not to do so.

“As such we call on all Guyanese to respect the declarations of the elections commission and let us move the country forward in peace, love and unity,” said Harmon.

Despite the declarations of results, there have been questions about the electoral process from international organisations/ambassadors, observers and other stakeholders.

When asked about this, Harmon responded by saying: “Not one single finger has been pointed to the President or the coalition with respect to fraud…On the other hand we have evidence of acts of violence, intimidation on the part of the other party and we have asked that the law enforcement agencies deal with this.” He, as such, challenged persons to put forward a credible case which would prove the coalition’s involvement in acts of fraud. The co-chair said the coalition has “clean hands in this matter,” and has only been involved in running an efficient campaign which mobilised a large scale of Guyanese.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-15-2020

THE Citizenship Initiative (TCI) has accused Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, of dereliction of duty during the counting of votes for Region Four on Friday.

TCI, in a release, said glaring discrepancies in the process have rendered the final results an unreliable and inaccurate indicator of the will of the people.

Throughout this process, the small party said Mingo carried out his statutory obligations in contempt of the general judgment and specific declaration of Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire.

“For those who are not aware of Mr. Mingo’s actions in the wake of a very direct and clear judgment from the CJ, we summarise:

1. Mr. Mingo attempted to use a spreadsheet in contravention of the CJ’s orders to use certified SOPs in the ascertaining of votes.

2. When this was opposed, he then resorted to a clerk reading out from what he purported to be SOPs but which were not visible to any eligible person there, including both observers and candidates. The numbers he called for polling stations which information (via photographs of SOPs) were in our position did not match our information. He denied both candidates and observer requests to view the SOPs directly. He was then served legal notice to appear before the Chief Justice in order for him to comply with her orders.

3. When he returned, instead of arranging for video-equipment in the Ashmin’s building to view and project the SOPs that his clerk was reading from, he stopped the process for over two hours and announced that he would be moving the operations to a location with better media facilities. It should be noted that the Ashmin’s facility had a fully-functioning media centre capable of fulfilling the declaration of the CJ.

4. The facility eventually settled upon at GECOM was less suited for the process Mr. Mingo was obligated to carry on than those at Ashmin’s. The source documents scanned and projected appeared to be photocopies of SOPs, the projected images were blurry, the projector some distance away from where observers and candidates sat, and there were no clear signatures on the documents projected. More importantly, numbers on many of the purported SOPs appeared to be doctored and were again not in concord with the independently-sourced SOPs in our possession,” TCI Presidential Candidate, Rondha-Ann Lam said.”

She said she personally committed to staying throughout the entire process and her story is based on a fist-hand account of what happened at GECOM.

“We are a small party, but we are not alone in our perception of how this process unfolded. Every single international observer mission, bar none has commented upon and condemned GECOM’s conduct over the past week.

“We urge Guyanese to consider the future of this country if this fundamental process by which we select our leadership is allowed to remain as flawed as it currently is,” the TCI presidential candidate said.

The Citizenship Initiative believes that the process, on Friday, was so flawed and tainted that the last logical next step to restore any credibility to these elections is that a recount has to be undertaken and in full public scrutiny, beginning from the unsealing of the ballot boxes to the final, credible declaration of the results.

The party also related that in keeping with the Representation of the People Act, it submitted a request for a recount before the statutory deadline of noon on Saturday.
“We are asking that chairperson, Justice Claudette Singh, ensure that a recount, as she has committed to, take place as the process yesterday (Friday) was so egregiously flawed that the result cannot be taken to be in itself an accurate representation of the will of the people,” Rondha-Ann Lam contended.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-15-2020

In light of the word ‘sanctions’ being used as a political talking point to achieve the aims of the machinations by anti-government forces, it behooves those who know this issue to set the record straight. Sanctions are not applied on the flimsiest of excuses. My research has led me to the conclusion that it is difficult to see Guyana or the government officials facing any semblance of sanctions due to electoral glitches and procedural issues in Guyana elections 2020 by an independent commission of which there is no evidence that it is being directed by the state apparatus. Hereunder contains my argumentation.

SANCTIONS
Sanctions are political and economic mechanisms used to force countries to align with the values and norms of the international system. They include temporary economic, diplomatic, trade, cultural and other restrictions on countries in violation of international rules that may pose a security threat to the nations of the world. According to the Charter of the United Nations, only the United Nations (UN) Security Council has a legal right to apply sanctions in the multilateral sphere in conformance with Article 41 and all UN member countries must comply with the decision of the Security Council, by following Article 2.2. However, this is separate and apart from unilateral sanctions which are imposed by individual countries. Those are based on a myriad of complex geopolitical considerations. Sanctions are more commonly imposed on economically poor countries and on countries with low levels of foreign direct investments (McKoy&Miller, 2012). Be that as it may, nations are compelled to provide some basis for the application of same. In our present context and vis-à-vis our just concluded regional and general elections, untamed geopolitical bullyism would be laid bare if there is the application of sanctions on the Guyanese people, the government of Guyana or government officials based on recent developments at the Guyana Elections Commission. It must be noted, the government invited all the observer missions who expressed their desire to be here.

These organizations subsequently declared the elections free and fair. There was no coercion of the population, freedom to exercise the franchise was unfettered, the free press was allowed to complete its work, there was no fear or intimidation of political opponents by the state and there were no political imprisonments or political executions before these elections. Above all, there is no evidence of the state apparatus exercising control over an independent electoral commission. The government of Guyana, based on the conduct of these elections, is in good democratic stead; sanctions ought to be made of much more stern stuff.

SANCTIONS MUST HAVE SOME LOGIC OR BASIS
Modern sanctions have been driven by the desire to promote democracy and human rights. Where they become applicable, there has to be a general situation of the complete breakdown of democracy and gross violations of human rights. It is difficult to see this mechanism rearing its head based on the arguing or bickering over how an independent commission executes its work according to law. The post-2015 government of Guyana has ushered in unprecedented democracy and human rights have been promoted and protected ferociously by the state apparatus, the institutional challenges notwithstanding. More than 50% of all sanctions directed toward autocratic regimes recorded in the new global dataset on post-Cold War sanctions explicitly aim to bring about democratization, that is, improvements in civil liberties and political rights (Von Soest&Wahman, 2014). The data points to the promotion of democracy as the key driver of sanctions. It is illogical to apply the same in the Guyana context where democracy flourishes.

OBSERVER MISSIONS’ REPORTS, STATEMENTS BY HEADS OF MISSIONS AND TWEETS
Elections Observers should be welcomed by all democratic nations and governments who proceed from a position of honorable intentions. Observers can spot fraud, offer recommendations to improve the electoral process, enhance the legitimacy or confirm the illegitimacy of a regime and help countries to strengthen their elections procedures, laws and systems. However, constructive or deconstructive criticisms by observer missions do not automatically equate to sanctions being exacted on countries. Reports are submitted to the head of the organization which facilitates the observer mission and countries are given a chance to defend themselves in the face of allegations made. In the case of the Organization of the American States (OAS), it comprises three main bodies.

Any submissions with consideration for robust action would have to withstand the rigorous bureaucratic structures of this organization. The author is of the view that the government of Guyana can easily argue its case which would be readily accepted by members of this organization. As mentioned above, all this becomes null and void when an economically powerful nation sets out to unilaterally sanction a country. Statements by heads of missions reflect the official policy position and sentiments of nations, albeit, at the Embassy level. These statements can indicate the posture of the government and can act as a mechanism to deter violations or urge countries to continue on a positive path. However, they do not automatically trigger sanctions; a bureaucratic process would have to follow. Tweets by officials at the highest level of government are not government policies. A tweet that says; ‘there will be consequences’ can be designed to instill fear in government officials to do the right thing but they are not guarantees of economic consequences. 

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-15-2020

…President, Opposition Leader agree to recounts for all 10 regions
– CARICOM to field high-level team to supervise recounts

By Navendra Seoraj

PRESIDENT DAVID GRANGER and Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo have agreed to a recount of the ballots in all ten Administrative Regions.
Although the onus is on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to grant a recount, CARICOM has said that both President Granger and Jagdeo have agreed for a recount of all regions and not just Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), where there was much contention.
Since the March 2 General and Regional Elections, the tabulation process for Region Four was marred by a series of events, from the Returning Officer (RO) and his staff falling sick, to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) repedly storming the GECOM command centre, to an injunction barring declaration of the results and subsequently, a series of objections.

After more than a week of confrontation and legal action, the votes for District Four were finally declared by the RO, Clairmont Mingo, on Friday night, amid heavy police presence at the GECOM High Street, Kingston Headquarters. According to his declarations, in the General Elections, the APNU+AFC coalition secured 136, 057 votes in District 4 (Demerara-Mahaica), while the PPP/C raked in 77, 231 votes. A New United Guyana (ANUG) secured the third largest number of votes with 1,387 votes, followed by Change Guyana with 919 votes; Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) with 761 votes and The Citizenship Initiative, 463 votes. The People’s Republic Party got 389 votes and The New Movement (TNM) 128 votes while the United Republican Party managed to rake in only 90 votes.

Meanwhile, in the Regional Elections, the APNU+AFC secured 130, 289 votes while the PPP/C raked in 74, 877 votes. Change Guyana received 914 votes while 752 votes were cast in favour of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP); 401 in favour of the People’s Republic Party; 125 in favour of the Victory of the People Party and 98 votes in favour of the United Republican Party.

Eight political parties had, however, requested a recount for Region Four, on Saturday, the same day Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley announced that President David Granger made a request for the regional bloc to field an independent high-level team to supervise the recounting the ballots.

“Many of you are aware that I led a high-level team of Caribbean Prime Ministers to Georgetown earlier this week (last week) to meet with all of the affected parties from the recent General Election of March 2, 2020,” said Mottley in a statement. Following additional discussions on Saturday morning with President Granger, Mottley has agreed to field the high-level team to supervise the recount, something to which Jagdeo has also agreed.
In speaking about the measure, Mottley said: “We believe that this is a giant step in being able to determine the will of the Guyanese people in the Election of March 2, 2020. It will also allow the electoral process to regain the confidence of all locally, regionally and internationally.

“I have spoken directly to both the President and the Leader of the Opposition and they have both committed to abide by the results of a fair and transparent recount of each and every ballot, as supervised by the CARICOM team. We also agreed that there needs to be steps taken to secure the integrity of the ballot boxes until the recount takes place.”
The Independent, high-level team, as announced by the Prime Minister, will be chaired by Francine Baron, former Attorney General and Foreign Minister of Dominica and comprise Mr. Anthony Boatswain, former Minister of Finance of Grenada; and Ms. Cynthia Barrow-Giles, Senior Lecturer in Department of Government of the University of the West Indies (UWI). They will also be accompanied by the two Chief Election Officers from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

Mottley said, both President Granger and Jagdeo have agreed that the recount should commence once the CARICOM team is on the ground. She has since confirmed that all efforts are being made to have the team in Guyana as soon as possible. A further announcement will be made as to the exact details once the team is on the ground.

REQUESTS DENIED
Even as the CARICOM team is set to arrive in Guyana soon, GECOM, through a statement on Saturday evening, said requests for a recount in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Four have been denied by the various ROs. The commission is, however, likely to override the rejections.
The APNU+AFC coalition had requested recounts in Regions Two and Three, while eight political parties, including the PPP/C, had requested a recount in Region Four. Early in the day, on Saturday, Co-Chair of the APNU+AFC campaign, Joseph Harmon, in a statement, had said if a recount was granted for Region Four, the coalition would pursue their applications for recounts in all 10 regions.

Meanwhile, in speaking about his view on the potential supervision of the recounting process by an independent team, Jagdeo said: “We are pleased that today (Saturday) we have managed, through the office of the Prime Minister of Barbados, to chart a way forward that would be acceptable to both sides. “You have seen in the statement she urged that all steps be taken to preserve the containers, so there is integrity in those boxes (ballot boxes)… I urge GECOM to do that immediately given that it is the desire of the political parties.” Jagdeo, at a press briefing on Saturday, suggested that all the ballot boxes be centralised in one location so that they can be “watched over” by observers and party agents.

“This is the way forward and the way to solve the problem so all of our people can go on with their lives…whoever the winner is, it will be determined by a verification process and our country can move on to address the threat of the Coronavirus. “I just thought I’d thank CARICOM, thank all those who worked on this, and also all the other observers and commend the President for taking this step forward that would allow us to bring an end to this, satisfactory to all political parties,” said Jagdeo.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-15-2020

Dear Editor:
Response is being made to letter “Mark Phillips responds to Lincoln Lewis” (GC, 12th March 2020).  When Phillips became visible on the political scene he promised a new type of politics; one based on reasoning, facts, tolerance, inclusion and listening to others. Time will tell if he has the capacity or interest to keep his promise.

The statement made by me that Region 4 Returning Officer (RO) “declared preliminary results” is a statement of fact.  This fact, a claim of which was made in a court of law, does not impede with whether the acting Chief Justice set aside that declaration in her ruling of 11th March. It matters not whether the preliminary results as declared by the RO was “fraudulent, the “verification process for the District Four Statements of Poll was aborted” or the act inconsistent with the law or not.

What matters, in the context within which my letter was written, was that a declaration took place for the Region 4 votes. Refer to my letter “GECOM didn’t deny credible and transparent process- it was interrupted in completing same” (GC: 8th March 2020). Phillips’ inability to recognise this that would cause him to see my statement as “misguided” begs the question if he, in the first instance, understood what was written or goaded to feel he had to respond to me even at the risk of exposing himself.

On the other issues in his letter relating to persons that he desires information from he should seek that directly. As prime ministerial candidate of a major political party he ought to know he cannot hide behind others and must stand on his own two feet. My interest in GECOM is ensuring the commissioners and officers are allowed to do their work consistent with the Constitution and Laws of Guyana to deliver free, fair, transparent and credible election in an environment free from fear and intimidation.

Regards
Lincoln Lewis

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-15-2020

In the interest of transparency and accountability, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, on Saturday, recommitted to having recounts done for the March 2 General and Regional Elections, in light of concerns by the opposition over the results of the Region 4 votes at the March 2 elections.

Returning Officer for the region, Clairmont Mingo, declared the results Friday night. “My commitment has now been bolstered, by a request made by His Excellency President David Granger, and to which the Leader of the Opposition Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo has approved, to have the Chairperson of CARICOM field an independent high-level team to supervise the recount of the ballots for Districts One to District Ten,” Justice Singh told Guyana Chronicle.
She said the agreement brokered by the Chairperson of CARICOM and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, is most welcomed. “I welcome this initiative and would assure everyone, that GECOM would cooperate fully with the process,” Justice Singh said.

The proposal to have an independent high-level team to supervise the re-counting of the ballots in the 10 Electoral Districts was made and agreed upon days after the CARICOM Chair led a high-level team to Guyana to meet with all parties involved and other key stakeholders.

Even as the proposal was made public, the GECOM Chair, legal representatives for the Elections Commission and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) were meeting with the Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire, in chambers, at the Diamond-Grove Magistrates’ Court. During that in-chamber meeting, Justice Singh again gave her commitment to facilitate a recount of the ballots for Region 4, as she would have done on Friday, March 13, during the contempt-of-court hearing.

But less than an hour before Justice Singh spoke with the Guyana Chronicle, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, issued a statement indicating that applications for recount in Districts Two, Three and Four were denied, while approvals were granted for Districts Five and Six, and while the recount process for District Five had commenced, the process in District Six had been suspended. Notably, Justice Singh said it was in keeping with that commitment that she summoned a meeting of the full Commission on Saturday. Notably, the Returning Officer for District 4, Clairmont Mingo received a total of eight (8) requests for general recount from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic and Seven smaller parties but the requests were denied.

Justice Singh said that, notwithstanding the positions taken by the Returning Officers, the issues surrounding the General and Regional Elections have evolved and there were not issues to be dealt with by Commission. “I have given the court my commitment,” she iterated while noting that the Commission, in the interest of transparency, must act.
After a week of legal battles which resulted in the initial declaration by Mingo being invalidated, the votes for District Four for the General and Regional Elections were declared by the Returning Officer Friday night, but the PPP/C, for a second time, alleged that the electoral process was flawed. According to the declaration, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) secured the highest number of votes in both the General and Regional Elections followed by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

In the General Elections, APNU+AFC secured 136, 057 votes in District 4 (Demerara-Mahaica), while the PPP/C raked in 77, 231 votes. A New United Guyana (ANUG) secured the third largest number of votes with 1,387 votes, followed by Change Guyana with 919 votes; Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) with 761 votes and The Citizenship Initiative, 463 votes. The People’s Republic Party got 389 votes and The New Movement (TNM) 128 votes while the United Republican Party only managed to rake in 90 votes.

Meanwhile, in the Regional Elections, the APNU+AFC secured 130, 289 votes while the PPP/C raked in 74, 877 votes. Change Guyana received 914 votes while 752 votes were cast in favor of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP); 401 in favor of the People’s Republic Party; 125 in favor of the Victory of the People Party and 98 votes in favor of the United Republican Party. While there were requests for recounts in the other districts, the process has been relatively smooth, and the votes declared for Districts One through 10 with the exception of District Four, are widely accepted.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-15-2020

The Guyana Press Association (GPA) on Saturday condemned the “threats, verbal assault and attempts of physical attacks of our media workers” over the past weeks as they covered the disputed March 2 regional and general elections.

In a statement, GPA said that the attacks were more severe particularly over the last two days as media workers gathered at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) tabulation centre and its Secretariat for the tabulation of the statements of poll (SOP) in Region 4 .
“We hold the leaders of the major political parties, Police Commissioner and members of the Guyana Elections Commission responsible for any harm brought to media professionals as they conduct their duties. “The political leaders through speech and silence continue to bait and incite supporters to act against opposing groups and the media. During several opposition protest actions last week media workers were followed, taunted and insulted while doing their jobs as some political leaders even attempted to direct journalists on how to write their stories,” the GPA sad.

It said during this week, “media workers were verbally assaulted outside the tabulation centre. “This assault rose to an alarming level on Friday afternoon into the night when party supporters gathered outside of the GECOM Secretariat and prevented the press from accessing interviews and GECOM in full view and presence of Police Officers and party representatives.

“Media workers were verbally abused based on the media outlet they represented and their ethnicity, as members of the crowd attempted to even check packages that included their equipment and food in their possession and prevented them from accessing their colleagues to obtain their dinner or to rotate.” The GPA said that when the results of the Region 4 area was disclosed by GECOM late on Friday night, “there was an outright blockade of the media by the crowd in full view of Police and party representatives of the Coalition as one media worker reported that she was nearly physically assaulted.

“From the start of results tabulation, GECOM and the Guyana Police Force have played dodge ball with the safety and security of media workers and requests for a secured spot outside of the tabulation centre have been met with refusal based on which agency has responsibility for security on the ground. “As such, media workers were prevented from conducting interviews of persons leaving the centre about the situation which arose last night.Based on what we have seen, the safety of media workers continues to be treated with a lack of interest by all those concerned with elections,” the GPA added. GECOM announced Friday night that the ruling coalition, A Partnership for National Unity plus the Alliance for Change (APNU=AFC) had polled 136, 057 and 130. 289 in the general and regional elections respectively as against 77,231 and 74, 877 respectively for the main opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-15-2020