Mar 06, 2020  News

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– urge GECOM, political parties to obey the law

By Mikaila Prince

The Region Four results declared yesterday lack credibility and verification. This was the strong statement put forward by international observer groups such as the Carter Centre, Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) and the Heads of Missions of the United States of America, Britain, Canada and the European Union Delegation to Guyana.

Chaos erupted yesterday after the Returning Officer (RO) for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo, allegedly declared that the APNU+AFC coalition had won Region Four by an enormous margin and essentially had triumphed in the March 2 General and Regional Elections.
However, the international observer groups, foreign Heads of Missions and contesting parties were quick to question the credibility of the results after they highlighted that the final results were not verified using the process of the Statement of Polls.
Head of the Carter Centre, Jason Carter, said to the press that transparency ceased at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Command Office and the procedures for the verification of the results could not have been identified. Carter stated that, “Nobody knows if these results are verified or not. There is still an opportunity for this to be transparent and for the elections to gain credibility and we urge all, including GECOM, to abide by the provisions that are available for the verification of the results.”
He added that both of the major parties claimed victory, but they should want to do so in a credible way. “We have not had transparency and we maintain that the Region Four results lack credibility,” the Carter Centre Head maintained.
Further to this, Carter said that these sentiments were communicated to GECOM Head, Justice (retired) Claudette Singh. In addition to this, the official said he is not of the view that the observers are there to babysit the process, but they do see a lack of credibility, and as observers, they will make their findings known at all times.
Carter said that he and his officials will remain in Guyana to oversee the entire process.
As for the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG), another one of the international missions who monitored Guyana’s General and Regional Elections, its members shared the concerns of the Carter Centre.
In a statement to the press last night, the COG disclosed that it had a consistent presence at the Office of the Returning Officer in Region Four. Owen Arthur, the Former Prime Minister Barbados and Head of the Observer Group, was keen to note that he personally visited the office to ensure that there was transparency in the process.

“It is the clear view of the Group that the tabulation of the final election results has not yet been completed and verified according to the established procedures and relevant legal and statutory provisions.”
Arthur further added that, “We strongly urge the Guyana Elections Commission and all parties involved to ensure the process properly follows the legal steps dictated by the laws of Guyana, and is in line with the country’s international commitments.”
With regard to the international heads of missions – British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn; Canadian High Commissioner, Lilian Chatterjee; Ambassador of the European Union, Fernando Ponz Canto; and Ambassador of the United States of America, Sarah-Ann Lynch -they observed GECOM’s proceedings at the Region Four Office and noted that in fact, the full count was not completed.
The ABC-EU missions emphatically stated that, “We question the credibility of the Region Four results published by GECOM today.”
They went on to say that, “We urge the Guyana Elections Commission, and all relevant actors, to expeditiously complete the tabulation on the basis of the statement of polls.”
All of the parties have called on Guyanese to remain calm and patient, and for all leaders to exercise responsibility and restraint.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar062020

 Mar 06, 2020  News

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Ranks at CID Headquarters are questioning a man who allegedly sent a bomb threat to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)’s High Street media centre.
The threat was made at around 10.45 hrs yesterday.
A senior police official revealed that the man is said to be a welder.
In his call, the suspect is said to have alleged that a bomb had been planted at the location. However, police said that the occupants of the building did not take the threat seriously and opted to stay.
Investigators managed to trace the call and the suspect was arrested about an hour later.
The bomb hoax comes at a time of escalating controversy over the results of Guyana’s General Elections, which are still to be announced, three days after voters went to the polls.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar062020

 Mar 06, 2020  News

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– GECOM Commissioner Alexander

Hours after a controversial declaration of Region Four’s results, a Commissioner of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Vincent Alexander, made it clear last evening that there are no legal obligations to verify the results in front of observers and party officials.
The decision of Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, to abandon what was expected to be a participatory process with political parties, and monitored by observers, sparked an injunction, and has resulted in the Opposition now asking for a recount.
Appearing on Kaieteur Radio’s ‘Elections Watch’ on 99.1 and 99.5fm, Alexander, an A Partnership For National Unity (APNU)-appointed commissioner, was asked about the legality of the announcement.
Mingo was in a balcony area, at the Ashmin’s building, High Street, where the operations office of the GECOM is located, when he was seen on video yesterday reading from a piece of paper.
He was supposed to have been present earlier in the day and in front of local and international observers, to verify publicly the results of the 800-plus polling stations in Region Four. However, he appeared later and made the announcement.
The announcement is a critical part of the tabulation process from Monday’s general and regional elections.
Nine of the 10 voting regions of Guyana would have been announced already, with Region 4 (Demerara/Mahaica) needing over 52,000 for the Coalition to be returned to the presidency.
The announcement by Mingo would give the Coalition a healthy 7,600 lead.
It also raised the ire of the international observers who raised concerns over the tabulation process.
Questioned whether he should be worried that as a commissioner he would not be responsible for possible sanctions for Guyana, Alexander made it clear that the decisions of GECOM is a “collective” one.
The elections are being seen as the biggest in the country’s history, with control of the oil and gas industry at stake.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar062020

 Mar 06, 2020  News

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The Private Sector Commission (PSC) is appalled at what it has described as “the blatant and deliberate attempts by GECOM to destroy our democracy by derailing the tabulation process of the 2020 elections results and attempts to subvert the will of the people”.
According to the PSC, it is clear to all that the Chairman of GECOM is allowing, without objection, the attempts to perpetuate election fraud under her watch. The tabulation process, it said, has certainly raised doubts about the integrity of the GECOM Chair, the Chief Elections Officer, and some of their staffers.
Added to this, the body said, “The threats to withdraw accreditation from the International Observers further erode confidence in the process.”
Moreover, the PSC said that it is calling on GECOM to recommence the verification of the remaining Statement of Polls for District 4 that will lead to a credible declaration of the results.
Alluding to the implications of not having a Democratically Elected Government, the PSC said, “We cannot allow our country at this time to be isolated and sanctioned by the international community. We call upon President Granger to ensure that the electoral process is completed in accordance with the law.”

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar062020

 Mar 06, 2020  News

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Six political parties have called for a recount of the results for the general and regional elections of region four, the most populous region. This call came after a series of chaotic events led to a declaration of the results yesterday by the region four returning officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo.
The parties are concerned that the integrity of the count is questionable, given that the results have not been verified.
The parties held a press conference last night at the Sleep-In Hotel on Church Street, calling for a swift resolution to the deadlock emanating from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) media and command centre.
The persons present were Lenox Shuman, presidential candidate of the Liberty & Justice Party (LJP); Raul Aaron, representing leader and presidential candidate of the United Republican Party (URP), Dr. Vishnu Bandhu; Nigel Hinds, who is the Chairman of Change Guyana, representing the party’s presidential candidate, Robert Badal; Irfaan Ali, presidential candidate of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C); Bharrat Jagdeo, PPP/C general secretary; Mark Phillips, PPP/C prime ministerial candidate; Timothy Jonas, chairman of A New and United Guyana (ANUG); Kian Jabour, assistant secretary of ANUG; and Asha Kissoon, presidential candidate and chairperson of The New Movement (TNM).
Shuman said that the numbers he saw presented, which formed the total in the RO’s declaration, were numbers that were “far, far, far removed” from what the observers and political parties had on their statements of poll. He said that he has no confidence in any declaration that has emanated from Mingo, because “all of that information has not been confirmed. No one sat there and scrutinized it.”
Aaron said that the URP believes the processes GECOM was supposed to have carried out were hijacked, and that what followed does not align with the protocol.
“We believe that all of the results that have been declared should not be validated, and should not be carried, and the process should go back from where it starts, and then we should continue with a true presentation of the results,” Aaron told the press.
Hinds said “APNU+AFC are tonight celebrating a farcical, fraudulent victory. They have committed an abomination against Guyanese and our fledgling democracy. What I have seen today, as a Guyanese, I’m embarrassed. I felt we’ve been insulted. Gross disrespect has been shown to the local stakeholders, to our media, to the international observers.”
He said that Guyanese must stand up and resist what appears to be a violation of the rights of the citizens.
Kissoon, on behalf of her youth party, said that the events that transpired appear not to be indicative of free and fair elections.
“We call for the verification to continue…. We would like it to be free and fair… All day, they have hidden from us,” she said.
She added that the joinder of TNM, ANUG and LJP, according to her party’s tabulation of the statements of poll, secured one seat in the National Assembly.
Jonas said that the list that was produced shows a complete act of desperation, and he took the opportunity to advocate for a shift from the winner-take-all system that allows the party with a plurality of votes to assume the executive government.
Phillips called for the vote to be recounted in accordance with the same practice employed for the other nine regions.
“This is an embarrassment… [that Guyana is] on the brink of a dictatorship,” Jabour said.
Jagdeo, who entered during the press conference, told the press that there is a plot to steal the election, and that “it’s unfolding before our very eyes.”
The PPP/C, according to Jagdeo, was attempting to serve the RO’s office with a notice of request for a recount, but that it was unable to find Mingo. He is concerned that there may be an attempt to outrun the statutory period in which a petition for a recount could be accepted.
The PPP/C had released its own tabulation of the statements of poll, which show that it maintained the lead, even after region four was included.
Several representatives from other parties emerged from the media centre at GECOM yesterday to make similar statements to the press.
The dissonance between their tabulations and that of the RO has further incensed those parties.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar062020

 Mar 06, 2020  News

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The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)’s Command Centre for the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections was deemed a “Media Centre” with the various establishments in Guyana, and those from abroad, receiving accreditation to ensure the ease of access.

This has proven to be a very beneficial method as media houses have been able to access credible and accurate information as well as be able to seek relevant clarifications from the Chair, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh, Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, and other key stakeholders that would be stationed there.
Media personnel were allowed to access the Command Centre housed at the Ashmin’s Building on Hadfield and High Streets on Elections Day and the day after.
But on Wednesday, the tack seemed to have changed, as journalists were barred from entering the building, with no proper explanations given as to why this was so.
To add insult to injury, overseas media establishments who were also given accreditation were allowed full access to the building, while the local reporters were forced to stand outside and approach officials as they entered and exited to get comments.
Yesterday, amid the confusion and conflict regarding the declaration of results for region four, media personnel flocked the building and attempted to enter, seeing that all the action came from indoors.
But as soon as they attempted to approach the entrance, they were stopped by police officers who formed a human barricade and began pushing them outwards.
Forced to stand in the pouring rain with no shelter nearby, the journalists protested and demanded reasons as to why they were barred access. But up to press time, no reason had been provided.
One journalist took to his Facebook page to express his displeasure.
According to him, “It is very insulting that overseas journalists are being given access to the media building and journalists who are Guyanese and who this (elections) process has a direct connection with, cannot get into the building.”
A Kaieteur News reporter said the fact that GECOM allowed international media operatives to have privileged access to its command centre that local media did not, sets a worrying precedent.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar062020

 Mar 06, 2020  News

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People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Executive Anil Nandlall has secured an injunction in the High Court to restrain officials of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) from declaring the results of the 2020 elections, unless the electoral process as prescribed by law is compiled with. The law in question provides for among other things, a verification of the election results.

The injunction granted by Justice Navindra Singh in the civil jurisdiction of the High Court was to be served on officials at the GECOM Command Centre, Hadfield Street, Georgetown.
According to the document, failure to comply with the Court order could result in the parties being held in contempt of court. The parties may also be liable to a term of imprisonment and have their assets confiscated.
Nandlall arrived at the centre around 15:00hrs (3:00 pm) yesterday, in the company of two court marshals. He was however unable to serve the writ, since the officials to receive them were nowhere to be found.
The injunction issued in accordance with Section 84 of the Representation of the People Act restrains GECOM either by itself, its servants and/or agents, and each and every one of them, from in any manner whatsoever

, declaring the total number of valid votes of electors for each list of Candidates recorded in the Guyana National and Regional Elections 2020.
It stated further that no declaration by GECOM must be made until and unless the Returning Officer (RO) Clairmont Mingo, Election District Number Four in Guyana and the Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, comply with and ensure the compliance of the process set out by the provision letter and spirit of section 84 of the Representation of the People Act, Cap 1:03, Laws of Guyana.
According to the documents seen by Kaieteur News, the applicant, Reaz Holladar made an oral application at the High Court for judicial review.
The move came after apparent attempts earlier by Mingo to declare the results for Region Four, even though there had been an agreement between the PPP/C and GECOM for a further verification, following a dispute over the authenticity of data.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar062020

 Mar 06, 2020  News

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Executive Member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Joseph Harmon, has criticised the conduct and behaviour of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), after his party received “credible reports and views recordings of various incidents” which took place at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Command Centre, on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

In a statement to the press, Harmon said that he noted that a large number of PPP/C leaders, led by their Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali and associated persons, along with known characters, who converged on GECOM during the night. Harmon highlighted their behaviour and conduct in general, and specifically towards the GECOM staff, including the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield.
Against this backdrop, Harmon argued that, “The behaviour and conduct of the PPP leaders and their enforcers is totally and wholly unacceptable, and is to be condemned in the strongest possible terms, and I do so unequivocally.
I am appalled that PPP leaders would seek to intimidate and bully the GECOM staff that they would storm into offices at GECOM which they are not authorized to enter, that they would abuse staff, attempt to seize GECOM property and handle and seemingly tamper with GECOM records.”
He added that the PPP/C’s conduct is grave and dangerous, which he claims, is designed to compromise the electoral process and injure Guyana’s democracy.
“I call on the PPP leadership to exercise restraint and not to further contribute to an atmosphere of fear, intimidation and hostility which they have created at the GECOM office. There are reports of GECOM staff being fearful for their lives and safety as a result of the conduct of the PPP and their associates,” Harmon said.
He went on to commend GECOM and its officers for standing their ground. In addition, he posits that GECOM is an autonomous agency which must be allowed to execute its mandate of the delivery of free, fair and credible elections to the people of Guyana.
“It is in the process of doing so, and the PPP must desist from derailing their work as they are about to conclude their final tabulations before making a declaration. I call on all Guyanese to continue to exercise restraint and patience, and await the official declaration of results by GECOM,” he concluded.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar062020

 Mar 06, 2020  News

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Amid tension and high emotions around the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, the Alliance For Change (AFC) has emerged with a damning allegation that the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has attempted to tamper with the integrity of the Elections results with the help of foreigners.

These allegations were put forward by the Prime Ministerial hopeful and Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan and Executive Member of the AFC, Cathy Hughes yesterday at APNU+AFC Campaign Headquarters on Lamaha Street.
Ramjattan said that the allegations were only being publicly released because it was leaked to the media, and according to him, the foreign nationals were sent back to their respective countries on elections day.
“This is an extremely important development. I don’t know how the press got wind of it, but it is killing me to know what is happening.”
He disclosed that they are still “hazy” on the situation.
Ramjattan reported that on E-Day, the Guyana Police Force arrested three foreign nationals who were allegedly meeting with leading members of the opposition at the Marriott Hotel.
The three individuals were identified as Libyan National Marwan Al-Ayed, US National Brent Kartcher and Russian National Vadim Kyrillov.
A fourth National, said to be Russian-American, is reportedly still on the run.
Police reportedly seized a number of flash drives, computers, tablets, and other electronic items from the men. Those items have been lodged.
Ramjattan relayed that they were forced to deport the foreign nationals after their “intelligence realized that there was some conspiracy to tap into GECOM’s computer system”.
“We can only say that far,” he stated, but he did not stop there.
He pointed fingers directly to Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo who, according to him, from intelligence received, was speaking directly with the Russians.
“The connections are straight to the PPP, because even from our intelligence, Bharrat Jagdeo was talking to them via phone…He was talking to them in Russian…We know he is very fluent in Russian.”
When asked what this “intelligence” was, Minister Ramjattan replied “Intelligence means intelligence.”
“There is a certain wall that we can’t…you want a photograph or the listening device and all that? You have to trust your security agencies.”
Fingers were also pointed to a member (name given) of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) who reportedly met with the opposition and the foreign nationals at the hotel.
Further, he noted that when the men were taken into police custody, they told investigators that they were employed by oil giant ExxonMobil.
But the party debunked this claim, since no ExxonMobil lawyers contacted the police for their release.
According to Ramjattan, “known PPP lawyers were the ones making the calls.”
“The minute we sent them and deported them on what we got, and I wouldn’t tell you what we got, it was PPP lawyers and not Exxon lawyers that were calling for them.”
Ramjattan explained that neither the Russian Embassy nor the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) was made aware of the allegations.
Ramjattan stated that he took an “executive decision” to keep this from the public’s eye, with the knowledge that such heavy allegations could be explosive at such a tense time in Guyana.
Executive Member of the AFC, Cathy Hughes fully supported Ramjattan’s decision to not disclose the allegations, citing that such reports could have been explosive on elections day.
“Can you imagine the chaos that would have ensued if this was available on Monday? We can assure you that Minister Ramjattan and the requisite agencies were all notified, all sprung into gear, and all active.”

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar062020

Mar 06, 2020  News

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– But APNU+AFC says it’s a misunderstanding

Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Karen Cummings was sternly rejected yesterday by members of the International Observer Missions (IOMs) after she paid them an early visit at the Command Centre for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and threatened to revoke their accreditation.
In video recordings that were uploaded by several persons on Facebook, Dr. Cummings was seen telling members of the IOMs and the Diplomatic Community that while she was advised to inform them of the foregoing, she was not in agreement with that course of action.

If this was the case, members of the IOMs challenged Dr. Cummings to say why she would even make such an utterance.
After the evidently offended observers listened to her comments, and subsequent attempts to backpedal, they asked Minister Cummings to leave the premises. But before doing so, she sought to end on the note that the government is thankful for the work that they are doing, while adding that she merely wanted to congratulate them on a job well done.
The observers noted, nonetheless, that her congratulatory remark does not negate the fact that she tried to intimidate them. A member of the Commonwealth Observer Mission and Former Prime Minister of Barbados Owen Arthur was keen to note that he would not allow the body he represents to be disrespected. He was willing to give up his accreditation.
Minister Cummings then issued an apology while reiterating to the members of the mission that she was not in agreement with what she was advised to do.
The government subsequently issued a statement to the effect that the issue between the Minister and the observers was a misunderstanding.
Its statement said, “We wish to make it clear that the Government of Guyana welcomes the presence of all Observer Missions and are open to their recommendations. We regret any misunderstanding the comments of the Foreign Affairs Minister may have caused.”
The Government added, “At this time, we are all committed to allowing the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to do its work without any interference.”

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar062020