…President Granger reminded western diplomats not the role of the executive to interfere in the work of the commission

PRESIDENT David Granger, on Thursday afternoon, briefed diplomats from the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada and the European Union on the just-concluded general and regional elections, asserting that the process was in full compliance with the constitution.

He also insisted that it was not the role of the executive to interfere in the work of the elections body. President Granger, on several occasions in the months leading up to elections, had made similar statements. His iteration of same to the diplomats on Thursday comes amid allegations by the opposition and some other groups regarding the Guyana Election’s Commission method of verifying the results of the polls.

During his meeting with the diplomats, the Guyanese leader told the ABCE

Diplomats that at every step of the electoral process he has complied with the laws of Guyana. The President said Monday’s General and Regional Elections were orderly and were in full compliance with the law and the Constitution. President Granger assured that at no time did he feel the commission was incapable of conducting fair elections. He reminded that it is not the role of the executive to interfere in the work of the commission.

Meanwhile, the British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn; Canadian High Commissioner, Lilian Chaterjee; Ambassador of the European Union, Fernando Ponz Canto; and the Ambassador of the United States of America, H.E. Sarah-Ann Lynch, in a joint statement, said that based on their observation of Thursday’s GECOM proceedings at their Region Four office, and the fact that the full count was not completed, “we question the credibility of the Region Four results published by GECOM today.” The diplomats urged the Guyana Elections Commission, and all relevant actors, to expeditiously complete the tabulation on the basis of the statement of polls. “We call on all Guyanese to remain calm and patient, and for all leaders to exercise responsibility and restraint,” the statement ended.

Over 600,000 Guyanese are eligible to vote in the 2020 General and Regional Elections. And, there are some 2,339 polling stations across the 10 administrative regions. Nine political parties competed in the general elections and 11 in the regional elections.

Subsequent to observing the process at the Beterverwagting Secondary School polling place, President Granger said he had observed that there is tremendous enthusiasm on the part of the electors at all of the polling stations that he visited.

“Everything was in order, the staff was in place, and they had all their materials… I have not received a single complaint in all of the stations I visited and I have been visiting stations for nearly three hours… the staff is aware of their duties and they are performing their duties efficiently,” said President Granger.

Considering the “tremendous” enthusiasm, he expected a massive turnout. The President went on to say that the whole Guyana should be happy because the “democratic process” was moving smoothly and even international observers should have nothing to complain about. President Granger although being satisfied with the process, said the coalition had noticed a few anomalies and abuses, but the party’s agent, Joseph Harmon, had noted those issues and raised them with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). Harmon in an invited comment said there was an issue at one polling station, where the six-digit stamp was only stamping four digits. The matter was brought to the attention of GECOM. Additionally, Harmon said there were smaller issues which were addressed as the day progressed.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_06_2020

The Commonwealth Elections Observer Mission has steered clear from criticizing the Guyana Elections Commission for the long delay in the declaration of the results of Monday’s general and regional elections.

“I will not be drawn into entering negative criticism on the logistics of transporting things in a country that is as large as Guyana,” Owen Arthur, former Barbados Prime Minister and head of the mission told the media on Wednesday. Arthur at the time was responding to questions regarding the declaration of the results.

Reporters had alluded to the speed in which results are usually declared in Barbados as compared with Guyana and to this he replied: “Given Barbados’ geography and demographics, the results would have been “quickly done,” Arthur said while pointing out, however, that Barbados was much smaller than Guyana. “I don’t think that there is any deliberate attempt to try to impose logistical difficulties,” he said.

The Organisation of American States (OAS) was not so reserved. It’s Chief of Mission, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, championed the cause for the use of technological solutions for the tabulation of votes that would result in an early declaration of the results.
Based on the OAS Mission’s observation, Golding said Guyanese are concerned about the length of time taken to tabulate and determine the results of both the General and Regional Elections, though cognizant of the challenges GECOM faces as a result of the country’s geographical layout and the employ of a manual tabulation system.

“Guyana’s largely manual electoral system requires the transportation of electoral materials, including the statements of poll, by land, water and air to the Returning Officers in each of the 10 Regions and to the Chief Elections Officer in Georgetown, in order to facilitate the tabulation, verification and declaration of the results of the elections,” Golding noted. It was further noted that the only area of automation in the counting process occurs at the CEO’s office where a computer application supports the tabulation of the results. As such, the OAS Electoral Observation Mission made a strong case for enhanced technological solutions to be employed for the collection and transmission of images of the Statements of Poll and collated results from the various regions.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_06_2020

Members of the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) have been present at the Office of the Returning Officer, Region Four in Georgetown over the last 24 hours.

This morning and this afternoon, March 5, 2020, I personally visited the said office. 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.

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.

Regards
Rt Hon. Owen Arthur
Former Prime Minister of Barbados
Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_06_2020

– secures 136, 335 votes in Region Four
– Jagdeo’s tabulations way off mark

By Lisa Hamilton

THE total results declared by Returning Officers (ROs) for all 10 Administrative Regions in the Regional Elections show that the coalition government has taken the lead by over 7,600 votes. With Region Four (Demera-Mahaica) being the last set of results to be declared, APNU+AFC jumps ahead with 237,140 votes to the PPP’s 229,450.

The long-awaited results for the single outstanding Region was declared on Thursday, indicating that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) gained 77,258 votes in Region Four, while the A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) gained 136,335. This represents a 59,097 lead in the Region, which is known to be an APNU+AFC stronghold. Regional votes oftentimes being almost identical to votes in the General Elections, could very well mean that the coalition government comes out as the victor in the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is yet to make a final and official declaration on which party has won the elections, and disagreements at the level of the verification of the Region’s Statements of Poll (SOPs) could see a fresh verification process on the same. On Wednesday morning, there was a breakdown in the verification of the Region’s SOPs after its Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo fell ill and had to be rushed to the hospital.

The process was then taken up by a GECOM Clerk, but disagreement ensued when a summarised spreadsheet was used and the numbers did not match. There were attempts to complete the process that night, but these failed. On Thursday, with plans to recommence the verification process at 09:00hrs, leaders, representatives and agents of all political parties, along with members of Elections Observer Missions (EOMs) and members of the diplomatic corps gathered at GECOM’s tabulation center

on High and Hadfield Streets.

But for reasons unknown, the verification process did not recommence, either at the said time or later, whereby the SOPs for Region Four were being verified “statement- to-statement”. Later on Thursday afternoon, the media got word that Mingo had recovered and returned to the GECOM tabulation center, and at around 17:30hrs, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Yolanda Ward released the declared General and Regional results for Region Four signed by the necessary signatories.

SHOUTED DOWN
When Mingo initially tried to declare the results to those within the Center, shouts erupted from Party affiliates present over the RO’s voice, but this did not stop him from going ahead with what he set out to do. Sometime after, the results were made known to the media. The General Elections results for Region Four does not differ much from that of the Regional, as it shows that the PPP has obtained 77,329 votes, as opposed to the APNU+AFC’s 136,458. It represents a 59,129 lead for the coalition government.

Before the results were declared, Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo had on one occasion shared with the media his party’s own tabulations of the votes cast in Region Four, and according to those calculations, the PPP/C had secured 80,344 votes and the APNU+AFC 114,345. In other words, the Opposition Leader gave his party 3,086 extra votes and the APNU+AFC 21,990 fewer than what was eventually declared.

And whereas the results declared by GECOM showed Change Guyana (CG) receiving 913 votes; the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) 757 votes; the Organisation for the Victory of the People (OVP) 117; the People’s Republic Party (PRP) 383; and the United Republican Party (URP) 91, Jagdeo’s tabulation was far off the mark.

He gave five more votes to the A New and United Guyana (ANUG); five less to Change Guyana; 113 more to the LJP; 226 more to the PRP; eight less to the TCI, which did not contest the Regional Elections; seven more to TNM; and nine extra to the URP. Following the declaration of the SOPs and much commotion at the Center, an emotional Jagdeo exited the building, sticking to his previously announced tabulations. “This is the manufactured figure now that went out on the declaration by Mingo, fraudulent,” he said. “This is totally fake; a fraudulent declaration by 22,000 votes added out of nowhere.”
From then to now, the Guyana Chronicle has not been able to reconnect to the site on which the PPP once portrayed the results of their own tabulation. And now that the declaration has been made, Jagdeo says that the PPP/C will be requesting a recount.
Meanwhile, head of Electoral Observers Missions (EOMs) have agreed that GECOM should refer to the previous “statement-to- statement” verification process, which came about as a result of discrepancies with the introduction of a spreadsheet, before they recognised the declared results of the Region as valid. Chair of The Carter Center Mission to Guyana, Jason Carter said: “The fact that there was no transparency of the results that were ultimately announced today means that those results lack credibility.”

Carter, who is also Chairperson of the Carter Center’s Board of Trustees and grandson of former US President, Jimmy Carter, said that one way of fixing the problem is by granting the recount requested by the PPP/C. “I see both sides have claimed that they think they’ve won,” he said, adding: “If that’s true, then what they want is to win in a credible, transparent way and so urge GECOM, and we urge the political parties and the people of Guyana to come together and pay close attention to how these results are going to be verified.”

COALITION SUPPORTERS ELATED

On Thursday evening, hundreds of supporters, elated with the declared results, gathered at the APNU+AFC’s headquarters on Lamaha Street in Georgetown awaiting a brief address from President David Granger, who was also at the location. There, Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon made it clear to supporters that the party has not made a declaration because, by law, this is the sole responsibility of the Elections Commission.

When the President did speak, he thanked Region Four in particular for its overwhelming support, based on the declared results, and assured them that his party is committed to making life better for all Guyanese, but urged them to celebrate, but to do so in moderation. “Don’t attack anybody,” he cautioned. “Let us go about our business, and when the sun rises; when the President is sworn in again, let us go forward in dignity. We are Guyanese, and we are building a country for our future; for our children. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_06_2020

Supporters of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) +Alliance For Change (AFC), on Thursday afternoon, flocked the surrounding area of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Tabulation Centre as they anxiously waited for the declaration of the Region Four statements of poll.

Executive members of the coalition arrived on the scene and requested persons return to their respective homes, and keep the peace as they await the official declaration from GECOM. James Bond, Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, and Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix also asked supporters to remain calm and keep the peace. he crowd was filled with mixed emotions, as a few persons grew frustrated, however, despite the anxiety in the atmosphere, supporters remained calm and respected the instructions given by members of the Guyana Police Force to stay behind the barricade.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_06_2020

The CARICOM election observation mission has concluded that Monday’s general and regional elections were free, fair and transparent.

Chief of Mission of the CARICOM observer mission, Cynthia Combie Martyr, said the mission expects that the results of the polls will reflect the free expression of the will and aspirations of the Guyanese people for a government of their choice. “The mission applauds GECOM for a job reasonably well done as it relates to the conduct of poll and poll activities on polling day, including the count and issue and presentation of statements of poll on Election Day,” said Martyr during a press briefing at the CARICOM Secretariat, on Wednesday.

On polling day, which was March 2, 2020, the CARICOM Election observers were deployed to polling stations in Regions Three, Four, Five, Six and 10. They visited approximately 360 polling stations across the country and were impressed by the efficiency, competence and professionalism of the poll officials in carrying out their duties. The new expectation is for GECOM to declare the official results as soon as is practicable.

In addition to the release of results, CARICOM observers were concerned that access ramps and other support structures to the polling stations/polling places for “differently abled” members of Guyanese society were not always available. According to Martyr, signage on polling stations and directions to electors was not large enough and placement was such that the signs were not always easily visible. Added to E-Day concerns, Martyr said: “Guyana is still in the same situation, electorally, that it was all those years ago. 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 mission that has made recommendations.”

The chief of mission called on local leaders to pay attention to those recommendations and try to implement them. She even went to the extent of saying that it appears as though CARICOM will have to “hold Guyana’s hand” when it comes to implementing various recommendations.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_06_2020

The Caribbean Community said it is concerned about the allegations being made about the Guyana elections, with respect to the tabulation of results based on the Statements of Polls (SOPs) in Region 4.

In a statement the Community calls on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to ensure that all legal and procedural processes are faithfully complied with in respect of the vote count and the declaration of results to ensure that the outcome of the polls expresses the will of the people of Guyana. “We call on all parties and Guyanese to remain calm while these issues are resolved,” the statement ended.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_06_2020

The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Guyana, in a statement, has indicated that it had expelled its member, Anter Narine.

Narine’s name was mentioned in accusations by the APNU+AFC that he was seen in the company of several Russians at the Marriot Hotel on Elections Day on Monday.
On Thursday, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, told the media, at a press briefing at the party’s campaign headquarters on Lamaha Street, that three foreign nationals were deported on Monday after investigations revealed that the men were conspiring to tap into the systems of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

“I want to say that we are still somewhat hazy on the position. Indeed we had three persons who were speaking to leading members of the PPP at the Marriott Hotel one out of Libya, one out of Russia and one out of America with Russian background that came into this country and we had to deport them on elections day after our intelligence realized that there was some conspiracy to tap into GECOM computer system. They were immediately deported. A fourth one who was not found at his Marriott room is on the run somewhere. We are not finding him,” he told the media.

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes who appeared with Ramjattan at the press briefing stated earlier on her Facebook page that Narine was seen in the company of the foreign nationals. She said cyber equipment were seized from the men.
“Have the Russians influenced our election process? Did they interfere? Why was AmCham member Anter Narine seen having dinner with these persons?
Americans do not accept this in their country why should we here in Guyana?” she said.
Later on Thursday, AmCham Guyana noted in a statement that it was concerned by Hughes’ statement. The body said that it was formed under the auspices of former US ambassador Perry Holloway and the current US Ambassador Sarah Ann Lynch, who sits as its honorary chair.

As regards the elections, the body said it has been instrumental as a GECOM-accredited observer and that it has been a central hub of observer missions and that it has assembled a team of accomplished officials to observe Guyana’s elections.
While noting that its team has been exposed to the requisite training to observe the elections, the body said that all its members have signed an international code of conduct to observe the elections.

Narine is said to be an active member of the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic and has been seen in the company of that party’s leaders at various public events.
Ramjattan said that the Commissioner of Police has been briefed on the matter regarding the Russians.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_06_2020

…three deported after being found with spy equipment

By Svetlana Marshall

ALLEGATIONS of Russian interference in Guyana’s General and Regional Elections surfaced on Thursday with the Ministry of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan reporting that cyber equipment has been seized and three persons with Russian background, deported. A fourth Russian operative, he said, has not been located. The cyber equipment included computers and flash drives.

Ramjattan, who is also the Prime Ministerial Candidate of the APNU+AFC, addressed journalists on the issue during a press conference at the APNU+AFC Command Centre in Georgetown on Thursday.

It is alleged that the American Chamber Association of Guyana (AmCham Guyana) were facilitating four suspicious Russians since their arrival on Saturday, February 29, 2020 but AmCham has strongly rejected the allegation. Immigration, based on directives from Ramjattan, subsequently detained and questioned three of the suspects before deporting them.

The Public Security Minister not only implicated AmCham, but also the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), even as he pointed to Winston Brassington, who was reportedly, photographed speaking with a Russian. “We had three persons who were speaking to leading members of the PPP at the Marriott Hotel – one out of Libya [with Russian background), one out of Russian, one of America with a Russian background that came into this country and we had to deport them on Elections Day after our intelligence realised that there was some conspiracy to tap into GECOM’s computer system. They were immediately deported,” Ramjattan told journalists. The fourth Russian is on the run, he further stated. The men reportedly alleged that they were in the country to work for US oil-giant ExxonMobil – the company currently leading oil and gas production in Guyana.

According to him, based on the ministry’s intelligence, Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, was also speaking to the questionable individuals in Russian. He also singled out AmCham member, Anter Narine, for engaging the now-deported individuals. PPP/C aligned lawyers had also reached out to the Guyana Police Force to make representation on behalf of the Russians.

Questioned whether the Russian Embassy has been informed and representatives from AmCham Guyana called in for questioning given the seriousness of the allegation, the security minister responded in the negative.

“We did not call in the Russian Embassy neither the AmCham…We don’t think that there might be any Russian Embassy connections here. I think the connection is straight to the PPP,” Ramjattan said. While the Russian Embassy and AmCham were not contacted, the security minister indicated that ExxonMobil was contacted by the Commissioner of Police, Leslie James to confirm or negate the information provided by the Russians.

Questioned why the Russians were deported and not detained to allow for a thorough and complete investigation, the security minister said he made a judgment call. “Because I thought that to be the wisest thing at that moment, judgment calls have to be made and when you are a minister these are the decisions you have to make at an executive level,” he said.

Pressed for more answers, Ramjattan said “Yes, I thought it was a wise decision; don’t ask me the reason behind it.”

Minister Ramjattan, who was backed by Public Telecommunications Minister, Catherine Hughes, said while the Russians were deported on Elections Day (Monday, March 2, 2020), the government took a decision not to make the reports public. Both ministers said it was only until the government was approached by sections of the press on the matter, was a decision taken to publicly address the matter.

“It would not have been appropriate,” Minister Hughes said, when pressed for answers. She added: “We have very clear security channels, the requisite organisations were contacted, fortunately they examined the situation and the information that they received, they deemed it credible and they found three of the four persons, and given that this was occurring on the early morning of the most important day of our history, the decision was taken that they had no grounds for these persons to be here and they were deported.” Minister Hughes said chaos would have ensued if the information was made public on Monday.

Meanwhile in a statement, AmCham said it took note of Minister Hughes’ remarks which attempt to impugn the character and integrity of AMCHAM. “AMCHAM wishes to assure every Guyanese that all of the persons accredited as observers by the Guyana Elections Commission went through a high level of scrutiny by the organisation before their names were submitted to GECOM, and further wishes to state that no Russian citizens (or any of the individuals referred to in Mrs. Hughes’ statement for that matter) were submitted by AMCHAM to the Guyana Elections Commission to be accredited. This can easily be verified with the Guyana Elections Commission,” the organisation said.

It maintained that none of Amcham’s members have been deported, charged with a crime, or otherwise. “In the unfortunate event it is found that there in fact were individuals or their associates working against Guyana’s sovereign interests, AMCHAM joins Mrs. Hughes in strong condemnation of any such attempts,” it emphasised.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_06_2020

The Ambassador of the United States of America, H.E. Sarah-Ann Lynch, the British High Commissioner, H.E. Greg Quinn, the Canadian High Commissioner, H.E. Lilian Chatterjee, and the Ambassador of the European Union, H.E. Fernando Ponz-Canto have called for the acceptance of the final results of the March 2, 2020 elections.

In a statement on Friday the diplomats said that they note that the recount process is coming to a conclusion. “We congratulate those who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to ensuring full transparency in the recount process. This includes political parties, staff of the Guyana Elections Commission, scrutineers from the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American States, the Advisor from the Commonwealth and observers. The dedication of all is a credit to the democratic process in Guyana,” the diplomats said in a joint statement.

“We also commend President Granger and the Leader of the Opposition for their support of the recount, and for their clear commitment to abide by the results. As this process concludes, it is important for all stakeholders to uphold the integrity of the process and peacefully accept the wishes of the Guyanese population. There will be disappointment for those who have lost. Those who are elected must take on this responsibility with humility and demonstrate that they will govern for the benefit of every Guyanese citizen.

We encourage party leaders to commit to constitutional reform and reconciliation to ensure every Guyanese, regardless of party affiliation, sees how their government will work in their best interest,” the ABCE diplomats said. They said as friends of Guyana, “we look forward to working with all parties to further support Guyana’s development for the benefit of all its people.”

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_06_06_2020