Mar 06, 2020  News

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The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), through its public relations officer Yolanda Ward, yesterday released unverified results for the general and regional elections conducted in Region Four. The international observer community has said that the process used to tabulate the results is not above board.

The Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo reportedly made a declaration of the unverified results which are reflected in the two Form 24 documents set out by protocol as necessary to so do.
Kaieteur News had previously reported that, for the nine already declared regions, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) leads A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) in the regional election by 51,439 votes.
The unverified figures for the regional election for Region Four in the Form 24 place APNU+AFC at 136,335 votes and PPP/C at 77,258 votes. This would represent a margin of victory of 59,077 votes – well above the 51,440 votes the incumbent coalition would require to win overall.
Kaieteur News is not in possession of the figures for the general elections in the nine other regions. However, marginal differences that tend to exist between those which indicate that the regional election figures give a fair idea of the parties’ general election performance.
The unverified figures for the general election for Region Four in the Form 24 place APNU+AFC at 136,458 votes and PPP/C at 77,329 votes. This would represent a margin of victory of 59,129 votes. This would also be likely to have placed APNU+AFC in a comfortable lead over the PPP/C in the general election. In 2015, APNU+AFC led PPP/C in region four by about 43,000 votes in both the general and regional elections.
Commotion at GECOM media centre
Meanwhile, a commotion broke out between officials of the PPP/C and APNU+AFC moments after Mingo announced that he was about to declare the results for the votes counted in that region. Amidst the ruckus, leader of the PPP/C Bharrat Jagdeo told the media that his party objected to the declaration, since there was no adequate verification conducted prior.
Jagdeo said that moments before the announcement was made, he was informed by the Commonwealth Secretary General that the process was not complete. Hence, no declaration should have been declared, according to the former President.
Representatives of the PPP/C shouted in anger when Mingo set out to make the declaration, accusing APNU/AFC of blatant thievery.
“Thief, Thief!” shouted members of the PPP/C camp, as representatives of APNU+AFC led by party frontbencher Volda Lawrence, responded in kind.
Members of the diplomatic community, foreign observer teams, staff of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and the media looked on.
In the midst of the shouting, Jagdeo told the press that the alarm raised by the PPP/C might have just overturned plans to hijack the elections
“We heard there are secret plans to swear him (David Granger) in as President. They are not going to succeed, because once they do, the entire international community will come down on them. Guyana will be sanctioned… all of them. We will see personal sanctions because of attempts to tamper with the results of the elections.”
“This is a stealing of the elections in the presence of international observers…I am sure that they are in touch with their government. So now the entire world is seeing this.”
Jagdeo reiterated that there would be personal sanctions against the government or any APNU+AFC member for participating in any suspicious exercise.
“There will be sanctions, international sanctions, as well as freezing of their accounts.”
Jagdeo also accused GECOM’s staff of working in tandem with those involved in a ploy to tamper with the electoral process.
“There is a cabal at GECOM that is involved. This is an attempt to hijack the process.”
Meanwhile, Lawrence brushed aside any concerns over the attempts to derail the elections process. She said that her understanding of the incident was that Mingo was about to make the declaration, but that he was not allowed to do so.
“This is GECOM’s command centre. These people should be allowed to do their jobs without interference from anyone. They are being prevented from doing so.”
Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan, who arrived moments later, shared similar sentiments.
Jagdeo met with the media in the afternoon as well, indicating that the party would be seeking a recount of the votes for that region.

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

 Mar 05, 2020  News

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By Kemol King

The results for the regional elections have been declared by the returning officers of nine regions, save for Region Four.

These results show that the election has become a two-party race between the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) and A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC). The other parties have recorded mostly dismal performances for the regions in which they contested.
For those nine regions, the PPP/C has taken a commanding lead. What is now necessary is for APNU+AFC to outperform its 2015 performance in Region Four if it is to overtake the PPP/C. In 2015, the coalition secured 43,000 votes more that the PPPC in Region Four.
Kaieteur News has observed stark differences in these two parties’ performances in certain regions in this year, from their 2015 performances. Some of those regions have also registered considerable turnout increases. Those increases may be attributed to the growth of the Official List of Electors (OLE).
In 2015, the OLE held 570,786 voters. Now, the OLE stands at 661,378. That’s a startling net increase of 90,592 voters.
For nine regions, leaving out Region Four, the PPP/C leads by 51,439 votes. In the regional vote, PPP/C won Region One with a margin of victory of 4,157. In 2015, that margin was 3,565.
PPP/C won Region Two with a margin of victory of 11,459 votes. In 2015, that margin was 8,809.
PPP/C won Region Three with a margin of victory of 24,066 votes. In 2015, that margin was 19,641.
PPP/C won Region Five with a margin of victory of 3,788 votes. In 2015, that margin was 3,270.
PPP/C won Region Six with a margin of victory of 22,870 votes. In 2015, that margin was 17,570.
PPP/C won Region Nine with a margin of victory of 2,239 votes. In 2015, that margin was 2,211.
The PPP/C expanded its margins of victory in all of those regions.
As for APNU+AFC, it won three out of the nine regions. APNU+AFC won Region Seven with a margin of victory of 1,144 votes. In 2015, that margin was 1,560.
APNU+AFC won Region Eight by a margin of victory of 45 votes. In 2015, the margin of victory was one vote.
APNU+AFC won Region Ten by a margin of victory of 15,951 votes. In 2015, that margin was 13,908.
To sum up the nine regions, the PPP/C took an almost decisive margin of victory of 51,439 votes. In 2015, that margin stood at 39,644.
Kaieteur News stresses that the results provided are for the regional election, not the general election.
While the parties’ general and regional elections performances tend to differ, the differences are usually marginal. Hence, these results present a fair idea of how the parties have performed in the general election as well.
Everything now boils down to Region Four, the final and most populous district.
In 2015, APNU+AFC won the regional election for Region Four, with a margin of victory of 42,271 votes.
In such a scenario, were it to maintain that difference this time around, it would not be enough to allow APNU+AFC to overhaul PPPC. The party would need to extend its margin of victory to 51,440 votes in Region Four.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar052020

 Mar 05, 2020  News

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– Lauded Kaieteur News, Stabroek News for unbiased, balanced reporting

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Both major political players in Guyana A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) and the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) have over the years continued to point fingers at each other when it comes to the abuse of state resources for campaigning with none willing to accept blame.

But, the European Union Elections Observer Mission on Wednesday blasted both parties for their blatant abuse of state resources for the March 2, 2020 elections.
Head of the Observer Mission, Urmas Paet, at a media briefing yesterday, stated that his observers noted “misuse of state resources by the ruling coalition”.
They used the advantage of “incumbency to appeal to voters through development programmes.”
Paet reported that the EU observers saw governmental donations provided in the context of APNU+AFC campaign events particularly in the Region Nine area.
The opposition PPP however, he noted, was observed using state resources at a regional level.
Further, Paet pointed out that both parties are known for their “in-kind vote buying” in many indigenous communities.
Guyana’s Biased Media
The political parties were not the only ones on the ‘hot seat’ as Guyana National Broadcasting Authority was also called out for its inability to effectively monitor the media during the intense campaign season.
The EU head explained that the media was able to freely cover the campaigns.
However, while the law stipulates that broadcasters provide a fair and balanced coverage of national politics, the broadcasting authority did not conduct thorough monitoring to ensure that this was so.
Guyana’s media environment was described as “highly politicised”, with very few independent media and the majority of media outlets being either directly affiliated or leaning to one of the two main political camps.
It was highlighted that both state broadcast and state print media, which benefit from the widest reach in the country, showed open bias to the government and ruling coalition.
Previously, Kaieteur News had pointed out that for this campaign season, the National Communications Network (NCN); the Department of Public Information (DPI) and the Guyana Chronicle showed open biased to the ruling coalition and the same was highlighted by the EU EOM.
According to its report, “the state-owned TV Channel 11 devoted a total of 60 percent of its news coverage to the government and the president, and 25 per cent to APNU+AFC.”
“In addition, clearly misusing state resources, the Department of Public Information (DPI), a governmental agency, was extensively used to promote the ruling coalition’s campaign activities.”
Further, the EU EOM outlined that Private broadcasters also showed a bias in their coverage of the election campaign.
Namely, Channel 28 and the PPP/C affiliated TV Channel 65 devoted to this party 58 percent and 77 percent of their news coverage, respectively.
The report stated that by contrast, Channel 9 devoted a total of 57 percent of its news to the president and the government as well as 23 percent to APNU+AFC.
The state-owned newspaper, Guyana Chronicle, provided extensive news coverage of the incumbent president, government and ruling coalition, offering considerable space to letters from readers critical towards PPP/C.
Conversely, Guyana Times offered wide and positive coverage of PPP/C and substantial negative coverage of the government and ruling coalition.
Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News were the only two media entities singled out as proven to be rather balanced in their news coverage.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar052020

 Mar 05, 2020  News

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By Shikema Dey and Mikaila Prince

With anxiety high in Guyana as every citizen sits on edge awaiting the announcement of the March 2, 2020 results, Guyanese will be forced to wait a bit longer after the Guyana Elections Commission yesterday discovered a number of discrepancies during the tabulation process of the results for Region Four.

The issue emerged after the Returning Officer for that region; Mr. Clairmont Mingo fell ill earlier in the day.
Mingo was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital after he complained of feeling unwell. This halted tabulations temporarily.
But according to reports, shortly after, he was up and back at the GECOM Media Centre to resume verifying the election count.
Kaieteur News was reliably informed that in Mingo’s absence, an unverified spreadsheet system was introduced to continue tabulations but this process was stopped after it was discovered that the numbers on the spreadsheet and the ones on the approved SOPs did not match.
Party Candidates and officials from the various Observer Missions called an emergency meeting with GECOM and this resulted in the spreadsheet method being scrapped.

Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, explained that the RO’s clerk was told to resume the halted tabulations.
He said, “The process of verification commenced in earnest at around 2:00pm and during the process, some errors were found.”
“We would have completed some eight statements and there were some errors contained in six of them. The representatives from the parties and the observers spoke with me and we stopped the process.”
According to Lowenfield, the tabulation process will be reverted to its initial method; using just the SOP’s.
“We agreed that we will do the verification statement by statement so I take out my statement and you take out your statement…
We go through the numbers on the statement and if there continues to be errors, there is a procedure prescribed for us to do that.”
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo in his comment to the media at the Centre expressed his satisfaction that the spreadsheet system was scrapped.
However, Jagdeo told reporters that he is baffled as to where and why the spreadsheet system was introduced since the law stipulates that SOP’s be used.
“They have to go back to the law…We don’t know who generated this list that they started using.”
However, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, who was also at the Centre opined that the “objections being raised were not valid.”
Basil said, “We don’t think so…the spreadsheet is something that was inherited from their time…We have no objections…Let us just get this over with.”
Jagdeo noted that his party will remain patient as GECOM continues the tabulations to deliver the final and official results for the elections.
However, later in the evening, the tabulations process was stalled once again, further delaying the process.
Kaieteur News was informed that after the tabulations continued from the previous stop, party officials were reassured that the process will continue unhindered.
It was said that later on, a fifteen-minute break was taken and then the process resumed.
But according to information received, the Clerk of the Returning Officer who is pregnant asked for another break but this was objected to since it was not part of the initial agreement.
Chairperson of GECOM, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh, granted the break due to the condition of the clerk much to the annoyance of the representatives of the political parties there.
It was said that members of the coalition left the media centre while officials from the PPP and other smaller parties remained to ensure that a replacement was sent so that the stalled process could continue.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar052020

 Mar 05, 2020  News

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The Commonwealth Election Observer group has released its preliminary findings of the Guyana 2020 Regional and General Elections.
During a press briefing at the Cara Lodge Hotel, yesterday, Head of the Commonwealth Team and former Prime Minister of Barbados Owen Arthur noted a significant increase in the number of political parties and presidential candidates contesting the elections, although the campaign was dominated by APNU+AFC and PPP/C.

“These were highly contested elections,” Arthur said.
The Observer Group Head noted that whilst the environment was tense and divisive, overall, fundamental freedoms of association, expression, assembly and movement were generally respected.
However, the former Barbadian PM noted that a key issue repeatedly raised in our interactions was the urgent need for constitutional and electoral reform to address what stakeholders view as a complex and multi-faceted polarisation of the nation.
“These divisions are reflected in the composition, structure and operations of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) itself.
“It is essential that electoral processes be fully inclusive of different political stakeholders and minority groups.”
The Commonwealth Mission was not the only observer team that recommended reform of the composition of GECOM.
The team of observers from Organization of American States, (OAS) also made similar recommendations.
The OAS noted the polarisation among members of GECOM and the challenges it creates in arriving at consensus on most issues. The division appears to exert undue pressure on the Chairperson and the use of his/her casting vote to resolve decisions before the Commission.
The mission therefore recommended that Guyana engages in a multi-stakeholder discussion on the structure of the electoral authority in order to enhance the deliberative nature and decision -making process of the commission.
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth observer team made recommendations for a comprehensive reform of the voter registration system, including legislative reform, is required.
The team noted that the Official List of Electors, containing 660,998 names, is clearly high in relation to the estimated 785,000 population of Guyana.
The Commonwealth observers pointed out, too, that the attempts by GECOM to create a new National Register of Registrants Database between July and August 2019 were not completed.
Additionally the group expressed concerns over delays in the determination of election petitions by the Court.
“Election petitions are handled by the High Court, and must be filed within 28 days. We were informed, for example, that an election petition filed by the PPP/C following the 2015 election is still pending before the High Court.”
The need to revise, update and implement campaign finance laws and regulations was highlighted by the Commonwealth team.
“The current limit on expenses ranges from $25,000 to $50,000 or the equivalent of US$125 or US$250.
“This is clearly outdated. Current legislation neither makes provision for disclosure of sources of contributions, nor provides effective enforcement mechanisms. Further, no guidance on the use of state resources exists in legislation.”
The team noted too that the Secretariat staff witnessed early voting of members of the disciplined forces on February 21, 2020.
“This exercise was undertaken in an orderly manner, with most procedures followed. We commend the Guyana Elections Commission for the facility of early voting, which enfranchises those who would be on election-related duty on the main polling day
“ We are concerned, however, that citizen observers were not accredited to observe this important part of the electoral process. We encourage early accreditation of citizen observers to enable them to observe early voting in future elections.”

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar052020

 Mar 05, 2020  News

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A Partnership For National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU-AFC) coalition has challenged results from several regions.
The disclosures were made last evening by President David Granger to supporters and coalition officials at his campaign headquarters on Lamaha Street, Cummingsburg.

Scores of persons converged on the location where Granger announced that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has not received all the statement of polls.
He said that the Coalition has challenged results from a number of the regions.
Granger also told his supporters that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic has also wanted recounts in some areas. Those recounts are underway.
Granger, who is facing being described as a one-term president if the Coalition loses the presidency, made it clear that he had hoped for an official declaration by GECOM by yesterday.
This is not possible with the recounts ongoing.
He said that the verification would be going on throughout the night.
The President appealed to his supporters to be patient with the hope that an announcement could be made today by GECOM of the results.
As of last evening, no one knew the final score, the President said.
“Tonight, I asked you remain calm…”
General and regional elections were held last Monday after more than a year of legal battles following a no-confidence motion that was passed against the government on December 21, 2018.
The next government that is sworn in will manage Guyana’s oil wealth.
Production commenced last December on one of the biggest finds in years in this part of the hemisphere.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar052020

 Mar 05, 2020  News

Cynthia Martyr, the Chief Observer of the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) Election Observer Mission blasted the Government of Guyana for letting dust settle on reports and recommendations by the observer mission submitted to them in previous elections.
During a press conference yesterday at the CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, the Chief Observer was quite passionate when she was enquired about her level of satisfaction regarding how the government dealt with recommendations given to them.
Martyr emphatically said, “The Mission has not been satisfied at all with the way that the government has been dealing with the recommendations that have been made.
“Suffice to say, CARICOM is not the only observation mission that has made recommendations, documented those recommendations, and yet, no one seems to pay any mind to those observations and recommendations.”
Martyr was keen to note, however, that progress in Guyana’s electoral system can only be seen with the desire by the authorities.
The Chief Observer disclosed that there are two prominent past Prime Ministers of CARICOM Member States, and at least one of them is a signatory to the CARICOM treaty, CARICOM agreement, and CARICOM commitment to the democratic process.
According to Martyr, one of the high points of that CARICOM treaty was based on the settlement of disputes and based on mediation.
She explained, “So having attended with Chiefs of Missions to the Guyana Elections in 2020, I believe that it is not critical for them to start to play their parts, because clearly, the part that they played when they were leaders did not amount to anything.”
She further added, “It seems to be that they would have to go back to the basics because obviously what they have been doing is not working…
I even volunteered my services as a well trained mediator to assist them in that process in trying to do good for the Guyanese people, and to assist the leaders of Guyana to get something going.”
Guyana is still in the same situation, electorally, as it was all those years ago, she added.
“So, I am determined to impress upon these two leaders that they have to find some way to assist Guyana [and] it looks like we’ll have to actually hold Guyana’s hands,” Martyr said.
Nevertheless, she noted that CARICOM is committed to the preservation of the democratic process in Guyana, and therefore, the community can, through diplomatic interventions, assist Guyana in bettering its systems.
CARICOM impressed with election processes
“The March 2, 2020 poll was free, fair and transparent and the [CARICOM observer] Mission expects that the results of the poll will reflect the free expression for the will and aspirations of the Guyanese people,” Martyr posited.
The 17-member mission comprised nationals from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
The delegation has been in Guyana since February 24 and has engaged in talks with several key stakeholders including electoral and government authorities, representatives of political parties, trade unions, civil society and religious groups and other election observer missions.
Deployed to approximately 360 polling stations across the country, the observers witnessed the election process and the conduct of the poll from opening to closing through the subsequent counting of the ballots.
They described this process and free, fair and credible.
Largely satisfied with the pleasant atmosphere of peace and calm amongst electors, the observer mission noted that there was no sign of hostility among the electors on Elections Day.
GECOM staff and polling agents were commended on a job ‘reasonably well done’ by Combie-Martyr who cited their experience, efficiency and professionalism.
“This is a demonstration of the level and standard of the training provided by GECOM,” she explained.
Reiterating the smoothness of polling, the overseer mission revealed that the polling places have met GECOM standards.
While there were some concerns about access for persons living with a disability to exercise their franchise, CARICOM observer mission said they were impressed by special consideration and additional assistance given by Presiding Officers, other GECOM staff and Election Day volunteers.
“The CARICOM Election Observer Mission is committed to ensuring the preservation of the democratic process and to make certain that every valid vote cast must be counted, to be regarded as a vote for the party of the elector’s choice,” Combie-Martyr related.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar052020

 Mar 05, 2020  News

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International observer mission, the Carter Center, made some strong recommendations for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in its recently published interim report.
During the press engagement yesterday, Chairman of the observer mission, Jason Carter, lauded the Elections Commission for the efficiency, smoothness and professionalism of the operations during the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

He added that GECOM utilised its strong base of electoral expertise to conduct well-managed voting day operations.
However, the Carter Center was keen to shed light on some key findings made during their mission and suggested pertinent advice to GECOM.
The Carter Center echoed sentiments posited by the Organisation of American States (OAS), which stipulated that GECOM should adjust its current structure to increase its independence, effectiveness and professionalism.
Carter noted the method of appointment of GECOM commissioners was based on a recommendation made by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter for the 1992 elections.
That has come to be known as the “Carter Formula” which was later integrated into the constitution.
The formula gives GECOM a partisan structure that has resulted in a highly polarized and sometimes ineffective board of commissioners. It also advantages the major parties and excludes newer parties.
With regards to the transparency in GECOM, it was advised that they should adopt a public relations plan to increase the clarity of the commission’s work.
This recommendation followed after the commission conducted decision-making processes in private meetings and only a few of those decisions were publicly explained. This became fertile ground for misinformation to disseminate.
It is important to note that it was only a few days ago that President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), Nazima Raghubir, slammed the Yolanda Ward, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of GECOM, for her slow responses to critical matters of the election.
On the issue of voter registration, which has been a source of controversy throughout the election period, the Carter Center’s observation on Election Day indicated that GECOM’s efforts to compile the list appeared to have been successful.
A total of 660,988 registered voters were on the final roll, an increase of 15.5 percent from the 2015 election. The increase in registered voters from 2011 to 2015 was similar in absolute terms – to approximately 90,000 voters.
The number of registered voters seems disproportionate to Guyana’s estimated population. Against this backdrop, the Carter Center recommends that before the next election the government should reassess and overhaul both the process and the technology used to create and manage the voter registration database.
With regards the preparations for Election Day, the Chairman shed some light on questions raised regarding the reduction of polling of places in private residences, which the opposition felt was being implemented in a discriminatory manner.
The issue was resolved, but only a few days before the election. Some stakeholders linked this issue to Carter Center reporting and recommendations from 2015.
The Carter Center noted in its 2015 report that 166 polling stations were located in private buildings and residences, and suggested that GECOM ensure that citizens can cast their ballots in a neutral environment.
While the Carter Center stood by this recommendation, it has noted that the use of private buildings may be necessary in some areas and does not necessarily undermine public confidence in the process.
Regardless, the debate about this issue contributed to delays in the finalisation of the list of polling stations. To rectify this, it was advised that in the future, any changes to polling locations should be completed well in advance of Election Day.
Even though these recommendations were made in multiple prior reports, the Carter Center hopes that GECOM will implement it as soonest.
“In the days to come, the Center urges the key political leaders to act responsibly and in the interest of all Guyana’s people, consistent with the spirit of the code of conduct signed by all parties.
“It is important that any disputes be addressed through appropriate legal channels,” Chairman of the international observer mission said.
He added, “The Carter Center urges Guyana’s political leaders to commit to reform the “winner-takes-all” election system currently in use. They should make critical issues of constitutional reform an urgent priority and commit to completing key reforms well before the next general election.”

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar052020

 Mar 04, 2020  News

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The delay in the declarations of election results of the Returning Officers (ROs) for their respective districts is disappointing and of extreme concern.
This was expressed by the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Captain Gerry Gouveia, during a press conference yesterday.
Captain Gouveia related that on Monday when the PSC visited the outskirts of Georgetown to observe the election operations, he was “exceptionally impressed” by the proceedings. He emphasized that operations were professional, smooth and efficient, and he exited the polls with a great sense of confidence in the declaration of results.
However 24 hours after the polls had closed, nothing was announced, resulting in the PSC being left in a state of concern.
Gouveia explained that, “This delay is of extreme concern to us; that returning officers have not been able to publicly make any declarations at this time. We expected to have the information – at least the declarations five bigger Regions – Three, Four, Five, Six and Ten – at 12:00 to 13:00 hrs, the latest.

And then we expected that the declarations of outlying regions such as One, Two, Seven, Eight and Nine to have started sometime this morning (yesterday) and by now we would have expected the returning officers to have been in a position to also publicly announce those results, thereby giving GECOM the opportunity to add ten numbers… to deliver election results to the nation.”
When asked whether he spoke to the GECOM to raise his concerns, Gouveia explained that he met with the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, yesterday, to get assurances that the CEO was not prohibiting the ROs from making declarations. Lowenfield gave his assurance that this was not the case.
According to the Chairman, the ROs do not require the approval of the CEO before they actually make their declarations. He noted that in the last legal advice given to him it stated that the law authorizes the ROs to make the public declarations soonest after the tabulation process is over.
“Lowenfield told me that he was not interfering with the process; that the Returning Officers were allowed to make their declarations, but what concerned us though, is even at this time, we have not been aware of any official declaration of the results at the regional level,” he stated.
Furthermore, Gouveia was keen to note that the delay in election results has created fear and paranoia in the local business community, and referenced the shutdown of businesses in the entire country yesterday. He went on to state that the “apprehension” is not in the favour of the business community or the country’s economy.
“Across the city and a lot of parts of the country, there’s an apprehension by business owners, and we are actually reaching out to say to them: ‘We have confidence in the GECOM system, and hopefully will get these results very quickly’” he said.
Nonetheless, the PSC urges Guyanese and international onlookers to be patient.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar042020

 Mar 04, 2020  News

By Rehanna Ramsay

In its preliminary report on the March 2020 General and Regional Elections, the Organization of American States, (OAS) made several key recommendations by which to strengthen the nation’s electoral systems
In the report the OAS noted among other things, the need for the implementation of more efficient systems for the timely delivery of the elections results. Guyana’s elections result usually takes days to be processed and declared.
Giving an overview of the preliminary findings of the OAS Mission, Head of the team and Former Prime Minister (PM) of Jamaica Bruce Golding told the press that a majority of the stakeholders whom the mission engaged expressed their concern about the length of time typically required to tabulate and declare the results of Guyana elections.
“The largely manual tabulation system, coupled with the country’s geography, infrastructure and population distribution, among other factors, can create significant challenges for the organization of elections and timely delivery of results,” Golding told members of the press at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston yesterday.
Golding said while it is recognized that Article 99 of the Representation of the People Act allows up to fifteen days after Elections Day for the declaration of the results, extended delays by the authorities in publicizing official data creates a window for the insertion of unhelpful speculation and uncertainty in the post-election period.
The former Jamaican Head-of-State noted that the elections commission should be considering implementing a more modern tabulation system for the allocation of votes.
“I recommend that the elections commission consider implementing a system to give preliminary results and make information available on elections day or the morning after.”
According to Golding, the development of a technological solution would see the transfer of statements of poll from regions to a central server through the establishment of a central computerized results receiving system.
The former Jamaican PM nonetheless commended the Guyanese people for their patience while waiting on GECOM to make the official declarations. He urged the nation to continue to keep the peace until those declarations are made.
During a press briefing earlier in the day, Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of GECOM Keith Lowenfield told the media that GECOM ‘s attempt to implement of a modern system met with difficulties.

Local cuisine experiences

“We tested that system at the University of Guyana student elections. We saw some of the problems that can be derived from such a system and the matter was deliberated by the representatives of political parties, but I daresay we are still where we are. It provided results for student elections, but there are other factors which govern the implementation or operationalisation of those recommendations.”
He said too that not all recommendations made will be accepted by the electoral body or its stakeholders.
On Monday, the OAS led a 20-member delegation to observe Guyana’s elections.
During a briefing with the press on elections day, Golding spoke of recommendations of the OAS Mission in 2011 and 2015 to improve GECOM’s efficiency
Golding told the media that “Regrettably, a lot of the recommendations made by the OAS Missions that were here in 2015 and 2011 are still languishing.”
Among the recommendations in the previous report by the OAS was for the implementation of a system of electronic tabulation of the preliminary results, given the concerns about the length of time it takes for the announcing of the election results.
Golding told the media, “It is not good to have an election on Monday and several days can pass before the people of Guyana can know what the outcomes of the elections are. That is courting mistrust; it is providing fertile ground for rumours and conspiracies and so on. And, in our discussions with GECOM, we certainly urged them to do everything possible to complete the tabulation and to have the results declared as early as possible. You would have to wait and see what happens after today.”
Notwithstanding this, the former Jamaican PM said, “You have to bear in mind, of course that, based on the geography of Guyana, there are remote polling stations where it could take time for the results to be conveyed. We’re told that, in some cases, they would have to use aircraft, [and] in some cases, you have to use boats.”
“Time would have to be allowed for that breakdown and care to ensure that in that process, whether the ballots are being conveyed by boat or plane, the ballot boxes and the statements of poll are carefully protected and the integrity is preserved.”
“But in them, we feel that we don’t have to wait until the last box or late statements of poll come in. Results can be fed to the people as they come in so that people can be assured that the process is working and not being deliberately delayed to facilitate anything that would be inimical to the free expression of the will of the people.”
In the 2015 report, the OAS Observer team lead by former Foreign Minister of Belize Lisa Shoman noted that while the results transmission process in Guyana contains careful safeguards in order to bolster the veracity and credibility of electoral results, the manual nature of the process is inherently time-consuming.

Source: https://issuu.com/gxmedia/docs/mar042020