Dear Editor
Guyana’s fragile post-election calm from 2006 to 2015 has been revisited by the tumultuous discord of the post- 1997 and 2001 elections and now threatens to descend into the virulence and violence which followed. In this unfolding situation we are witnessing the degeneration of social cohesion initiated through peace-building efforts leading up to the 2006 elections. An independent (UNDP funded) consultants’ post-election 2006 review identified a number of lessons learned, which they felt could be “replicated and/or improved for the future.”

Some of the more compelling pre-2006 election activities they identified, were: peace efforts to facilitate dialogue and 483 citizens engaged in conflict-transformation workshops; political parties and media representatives informed and trained on the Racial Hostilities and Representation of People Act; distribution of 18,600 user-friendly elections procedure manuals with training for GECOM staff and officials and made available in every polling station; the Election Assistance Board recruited and fielded 1,400 local observers; media personnel and houses signed the Media Code of Conduct; GECOM and donor agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding which was tabled in parliament; political parties signed a Peace Pact and Code of Conduct; recognition of the Private Sector Commission and preparation of the Joint Services to respond to volatile situations.

On elections day GECOM provided timely results and transparency in communicating to the public by publishing counts on a rolling basis. The results were posted continuously by media houses right up to official declaration (in three days) by the CEO. In the immediate post-election period both the local and international observers verified the fairness of the polls and the opposition parties conceded to a gracious winner, who almost immediately reached out to the opposition in a conciliatory way. In the words of the reviewers, “Guyanese society at age 40 finds itself in a unique position. On the one hand it attained this marked accomplishment which could signal its coming of age as a fledgling democracy.”

Despite the euphoria in this electoral calm, the reviewers were also cognisant that some segments of the population saw the (internationally sponsored) peace campaign as “the biggest social pacification programme ever attempted in Guyana” aimed at pacifying the opposition while ignoring the shortcomings and provocation of the incumbents. Some, they said, felt the donor community “could have better served Guyanese if implementation of constitutional reforms were leveraged for international support…Otherwise, the risk of another five-years of non-implementation of agreements resulting from the Herdmanston Accord, Constitutional Reforms and other agreements was likely”’

The review also provided some of the recommendations, made by Guyanese and observers who had participated in the pre-election and election day activities, on what was still needed to be done to address underlying concerns and establish a truly democratic society:

1. Social cohesion, especially trust-building, was seen as the pressing issue and “study” was important and needed in defining, understanding, and educating “trust” (or lack thereof) in the public and private sectors, NGOs, unions, schools, etc. while giving voice to women, youth, civil society, and ethnicities by creating new spaces beyond those currently dominated by politicians, criminals, and business.

2. Social Mitigation, especially with respect to the violence of poverty (sexual, child, spousal abuse); youth education, training, and employment opportunities; and development projects in local communities which engage local residents and youths in a meaningful way.

3. Improve the election process by: fixed-date elections every five years; increase the number and geographic diversity of GECOM Commissioners — more women, ethnicities, parties, and civil society; non-partisan (eg UG) study of elections and train citizens in Elections Management; and legislative action on campaign finances and use of public funds for partisan electioneering.

4. Constitutional and social reform: independent candidates allowed to contest local government elections; parliament prioritising and implementing reforms e.g. the National Development Strategy, Sir Davies Report, Bradford Report, Herdmanston Accord, St Lucia Statement and Disciplinary Services Report.

5. Legislative reform to develop the broadcast sector.

6. Political parties geared towards national interests rather than organised around ethnic fault lines.

7. Elections with direct selection of representatives would allow for community participation in decisions at the grass-roots level.
In this time of social isolation and election paralysis, Guyanese may be well served to reflect on what got us here, both the positive and the negatives. Two UNDP staff who played a part in the peace initiative identified these 10 values which underlie conflict-prevention approaches:

1. The process (election) is as important as the outcome (result);
2. Public commitment to non-violence by all parties;
3. Value-based leadership, i.e., non-incendiary vs confrontational election rhetoric;
4. Transparency by all: in source of funds, strategies, & post-election distribution of positions;
5. Information (credible and verifiable) sharing by all parties and agencies;
6. Accountability through citizen-engagement with politicians, the process and the outcome;
7. Accountability through codes of conduct for key players in the process;
8. Inclusion and flexibility in including who participate in dialogue and decisions;
9. Collaboration instead of competition, i.e., avoiding winner-take-all positions, and
10. Justice that is inclusive and fair.

Somewhere along the way we seem to have lost our way. The question for me was: Who dropped the ball? However, in this crisis there is little time for self-indulgent curiosity, instead, maybe we can use this retrospective to assess the current processes and performers. The dangling questions are: Can we get to less fractious elections and equitable democratic governance? And what do we need to do to get there? I suspect most of the answers have been around for 14 years, or more.

Regards
Rory Fraser

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_05_05_2020

–President Granger says, welcomes commencement of the recount

AHEAD of the National Recount, President David Granger as reiterated his long-held position that he will accept the results of the General and Regional Elections when it is declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

“I have said, repeatedly, that I shall accept the declaration of the results by the Elections Commission, which will allow for a democratically-elected government to be sworn in to office,” the Head of State said in an address to the nation on Monday.

The recount, according to an Order gazetted by the Elections Commission on Monday, will commence on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, much to the satisfaction of the President.
“I welcome the Commission’s announcement; the entire nation is awaiting the completion of the recount of the ballots, and the declaration of the results by the Elections Commission,” he said.

It has been more than two months since Guyanese went to the polls on March 2. The President, in his address, noted that elections were “free, fair and orderly, but subsequent events resulted in the prolongation of the electoral process, well beyond the deadline for the declaration of results.”

Just as the electoral process was near completion, a private citizen, the late Reeaz Holladar, on behalf of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), moved to the High Court on March 5, 2020 to block the declaration of the results by the Elections Mission. That injunction triggered a number of other legal proceedings, both in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. It was after overcoming those legal challenges that the Elections Commission took a decision on April 3 to proceed with a National Recount in keeping with an earlier decision.

“I have complied always with the rulings of the Courts. I have never interfered, intervened or intruded in the work of the Elections Commission; its independence is respected, and I have upheld, always, the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, which is the supreme law of the land. I await the declaration of the elections’ results,” President Granger said.

It was President Granger, who had agreed to a National Recount on March 15, 2020 following an intervention by Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley. The Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, had also bought into the idea, which would see a CARICOM delegation playing an integral role in the recount process.

AGREED TO TOTAL RECOUNT
He had agreed that “…a total recount of the ballots from all electoral districts in Regions One to Ten would take place urgently, and in accordance with the Constitution, the applicable law, and the judgment of the Court issued by Roxanne George, Chief Justice (ag.), on Wednesday, 11 March 2020.”

The Head of State, based on discussions with the CARICOM Chair, had also agreed that a high-level team from the CARICOM should be allowed to participate in the recount, but within the framework of the Constitution, under the aegis of the Commission, and the rulings of the Court.

“The CARICOM approved and arranged for a High-Level Team to travel to Guyana. The Team was expected to observe the recount, and submit its report to the Chairman or Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community. The Team was unable to do so owing to the unresolved legal issues related to the national recount. The Courts have since ruled,” he recalled.

The Head of Sate said he is satisfied now that the hurdles have been cleared for the Elections Commission to conduct the recount, and that the Commission’s Secretariat is prepared, fully, to execute its mandate.

“I am pleased to learn that a CARICOM High-Level Team has arrived in Guyana to observe the recount process in response to the Commission’s request,” he said, while adding that the Elections Commission must be allowed to do its work in accordance with the Constitution. As the Elections Secretariat puts system in place for the recount to begin on Wednesday, the President is urging all Guyanese to be patient, as they await the outcome of the national recount.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_05_05_2020

…GECOM sticking to scrutiny of ballot boxes despite PPP protest
…gazettes order which includes simultaneous counting of votes, live streaming

The Order, bringing into legal effect the National Recount of the votes cast at the March 2 General and Regional Elections, was published in the Official Gazette of Guyana on Monday, May 4.

The gazetting of the Order now paves the way for the much-anticipated recount to commence on Wednesday, under the supervision of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and the watchful eyes of scrutineers drawn from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The Order, which comprises a total of eight ‘whereas’ clauses, was signed by Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, and made by the Elections Commission, pursuant to its powers under Article 162 of the Constitution and Section 22 of the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act.

In accordance with the Constitution and the ruling of the Court of Appeal, the Order states that the Elections Commission will provide overall supervision and guidance to the Elections Secretariat during the conduct of the National Recount, and will serve as the final arbiter of issues not resolved at lower levels. Importantly, it states that an Order on the national recount will be gazzetted, and the final results of the March 2 Elections will be determined and declared.

Notably, while the recount will be conducted by GECOM’s staff, under the direct supervision of the Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, it will be scrutinised by the three-member CARICOM team, and witnessed by representatives of political parties that contested the elections, as well as accredited international and local observers, and advisers to the Elections Commission. The Chairman of GECOM and the Elections Commissioners will also be present.

It also clearly specified the duration of the National Recount, the sequence in which it will be executed, and the contents to be scrutinised. According to the Order, the recount will commence on Wednesday, May 6, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), and run for a period of 25 days; however, the duration is subject to review during the course of the first week. The 10 workstations, which will be housed within the Conference Centre, will operate every day of the week, from 08:00hrs to 19:00hrs, until the completion of the process.

NO GIVING IN
Based on the Order, the Elections Commission did not give in to the demands of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) that the votes should be counted one region at a time. In fact, the Order provides for the simultaneous counting of votes, starting with the first four (4) Elections Districts: Barima-Waini; Pomeroon-Supenaam; Essequibo Islands-West Demerara; and Demerara-Mahaica.

“The recount shall commence with the allocation of 10 workstations as follows: District 1, two workstations; District 2, two workstations; District 3, three workstations; and District 4, three workstations. The recount for District 4 shall continue at the three workstations assigned to it. The recounts for Districts 5 through 10 shall be conducted, based on the completion of, and at the workstations assigned to Districts 1, 2 and 3,” the gazzetted order states.

Further to that, clear guidelines have been established for the examination of the ballot boxes and the contents therein.
The PPP/C has been vehemently objecting to the scrutiny of the contents of the ballot boxes that are separate and apart from the ballots. According to the PPP, it should be a numerical recount of the ballots cast and nothing else.

CLEARLY-ESTABLISHED
But the Order clearly establishes a procedure for the contents of the ballot boxes to be analysed.
“Upon arrival of the ballot box at the workstation, it shall be first examined to ascertain that the seals are intact. The contents shall then be emptied, and the election materials examined. Notes shall be taken, and records made in accordance with the requirements of the Ballot Box Checklist. Any observation not catered for in the checklist provided shall be recorded on the Observation Report Form,” the Order states.

The supervisers at the 10 workstations will be required to sign off on the Ballot Box Checklists, in addition to the Observation Reports. Those reports will also be signed by representatives of each contesting party, and copies of the completed Ballot Box Checklists and Observation Reports will be given to the party representatives.

“The result of the General and Regional Recount of each ballot box shall be recorded, as provided for, on a Statement of Recount (SOR) upon the completion of the recount of each box,” the Order states, while noting that the SOR will be signed by the person conducting the recount, and the representative of each contesting party in the presence of officials entitled to be there.

It was a breakdown in the tabulation process in District Four that landed GECOM and the District’s Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo in the High Court. It was alleged that the procedure established in Section 84 of the Representation of the People Act was not followed, and that the RO had substituted the Statements of Poll (SOPs) with spreadsheets, and had failed to project the SOPs as required. This time around, the Elections Commission hopes not to have history repeat itself, and as such, has laid out clear guidelines.

THE TABULATION PROCESS
The tabulation of the Statements of Recount will be done at a central tabulation centre in the presence of the CARICOM Scrutinising Team, representatives of political parties, local and international observers and GECOM officials. “The Statement of Recount shall be projected on a screen to be viewed by all persons present, and the information shall be input into a matrix, which process could be viewed simultaneously by all persons present,” the Order states. Similarly, in the presence of those entitled to be there, all of the SORs will be tabulated by the District Superviser.

A copy of the signed matrix will then be submitted to the CEO, and copies thereof will be given to the parties’ representatives, observers, CARICOM Scrutinising Team, the GECOM Chair and Commissioners.

“The matrices for the recount of the ten (10) Electoral Districts shall then be tabulated by the Chief Election Officer, and shall be submitted in a report, together with a summary of the observation reports for each District, to the Commission,” another section of the order reads. It also indicated that the CARICOM Scrutinising Team will also submit a report to the Commission inclusive of its observations, recommendations and conclusions.

LIVE BROADCAST, NO LIVE-STREAMING
The Order also provides for the broadcast and live-streaming of the National Recount, though the Commission, in a majority decision in the recent past, had objected to live-streaming the process due to conflicts with Section 90 of the Representation of the People Act, which provides for the maintenance of secrecy.

According to the Order, each of the 10 workstations will have a facility which will capture and broadcast a picture of the ballot box, depicting the state in which it was delivered to the workstation, and an audio feed of the recount process. Added to that, an audio-visual facility will be installed in the Tabulation Centre, which will broadcast, live, the entire tabulation process.

BACKGROUNDER
In the eight ‘whereas’ clauses detailed in the Order, the Elections Commission justified its decision to facilitate the National Recount. It noted that while the General and Regional Elections were held in Guyana on March 2, 2020, the electoral process encountered a number of stumbling blocks, and in some instances, parts of the process were legally challenged in the Courts.

It explained that though the declarations of the results were made in accordance with Section 84 (1) of the Representation of the People Act, requests for recounts in a number of electoral districts were rejected, aborted, or held in abeyance. Further to that, a report detailing the results of the elections was submitted to the Chairman of the Elections Commission, but that, too, was held in abeyance, and aspects of the election process challenged in the Court.

Given the challenges that arose, President David Granger and Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo agreed to a CARICOM proposal for a total recount of all electoral districts, as “a means of assuaging the contesting parties and determining a final credible count.”
In keeping with the general consensus among the political parties, the Elections Commission, on April 3, made a decision to recount all of the ballots cast in the General and Regional Elections. Its actions, GECOM has always maintained, are in accordance with the Constitution and the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act.

The final clause states: “AND WHEREAS the Guyana Elections Commission, in exercise of the authority vested in it under Article 162 of the Constitution, and pursuant to Section 22 of the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act, No. 15 of 2000, seeks to remove difficulties connected with the application of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03, in implementing its decisions relating to the conduct of the aforementioned recount of all ballots cast at the said elections, including the reconciliation of the ballots issued with the ballots cast, destroyed, spoiled, stamped, and as deemed necessary, their counterfoils/stubs; authenticity of the ballots and the number of voters listed and crossed out as having voted; the number of votes cast without ID cards; the number of proxies issued and the number utilised; statistical anomalies; occurrences recorded in the Poll Book.”
Now that the Order has been gazetted, the GECOM Secretariat is actively preparing for the recount.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_05_05_2020

Dear Editor,

THE Bar Association of Guyana was accredited by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as a Local Observer of the 2020 General and Regional Elections which were held on March 2, 2020.

In accordance therewith, The Bar Association has been monitoring the elections process, and dispatched a team to observe the voting process on Election Day, particularly in Regions 4, 5 and 6.

While the results have not yet been declared, and, therefore, the process is still ongoing, including our observation status, the preliminary reports received thus far from our Observation Team are that the voting process on Election Day was, on a balance, free, fair and transparent. They did not report witnessing any untoward events on Election Day which would affect the credibility of the result of the election. As with any process, there are areas for improvement, which will be addressed in the final report submitted to GECOM on the completion of the election process.

The members of our team wish to extend their kudos to the GECOM staff, who discharged their duties on Election Day with professionalism and competence to ensure free and fair elections throughout Guyana. The mandated process of GECOM for the declaration of results is, by its very nature, time-consuming, and we therefore urge patience in permitting GECOM to complete their work in the delivery of accurate results.

We further remind citizens that GECOM is the only body with the lawful authority to declare the results of the General and Regional Elections held on March 2, 2020.

Regards,
Guyana Bar Association

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_05_2020

-President Granger urges supporters to be patient as they await official declaration of results

-hopes for some form of declaration today

As anxiety continues to grow over the impending announcement of results for the 2020 General and Regional Elections, incumbent President David Granger, who is at the helm of the in A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition, has urged the party’s supporters to remain calm as they await those results.

Over 600,000 Guyanese were eligible to vote in the 2020 General and Regional Elections on Monday and there were some 2,339 polling stations across the 10 administrative regions. Nine political parties contested the general elections and 11 in the regional elections.
It has been over 48 hours since the close of polls at 18:00hrs on Monday, and although results continue to “trickle in,” there has been increased anxiety because of the pace at which results are being declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

President Granger, who had hoped that the results would have already been declared, said the coalition is hoping for an official declaration of those results today by the Chairman of GECOM, Justice (ret’d), Claudette Singh.

“I cannot make a declaration tonight (Wednesday) because the elections commission itself has not received all of the declarations from returning officers,” said President Granger during an address to coalition supporters, who converged at the APNU+AFC’s headquarters at Lamaha Street on Wednesday evening.

In urging supporters of the coalition to remain patient and calm as they await the results, the President said: “Remain calm, we are awaiting a declaration by the elections commission and as soon as we get word, we will make a public announcement. It is not possible right now.

“So I crave your indulgence…patiently wait until the results come from the commission and as soon as that comes we will be in touch with you…I cannot give you an announcement, we are all watching and waiting.”

It is believed that results would have been declared sooner, but both the APNU+AFC coalition and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) – the main contenders in the elections– raised concerns about some challenges in various administrative regions. These challenges were noted by the elections body and verification of ballots was taking place up to press time on Tuesday.

“Right now, as I speak, verification is still taking place, so the numbers have not been verified and we cannot make an announcement until the elections commission makes a declaration.

“All of us had hoped that by now the declaration would be made, but it will not be made tonight (Wednesday)…verification is going on throughout the night, so I ask you to be patient and we hope that tomorrow the chairman of the commission will make some form of declaration,” said President Granger.

In this regard, the President said it is “quite impossible” to make any announcement of results because “nobody” knows the final score.

The PPP/C had said: “The party also believes that Guyanese must remain calm and go about their business in a peaceful manner, as GECOM finalises the official results via its verification process.”

President Granger, weighing in on the electoral process on Monday, said he was satisfied with the electoral process, despite a few anomalies and abuses which the coalition had observed.

Meanwhile, Justice (ret’d) Singh has said that Guyana’s General and Regional Elections were free, fair and a major success, even as she called on Guyanese to demonstrate patience as the Elections Secretariat tabulates the votes for a preliminary or final declaration of the results.

She said that GECOM, despite facing a plethora of challenges in the

lead up to Monday, March 2, smoothly executed the General and Regional Elections across the country’s 10 administrative regions. According to her, the elections were well run.

“We had a very well-run election, despite all of the naysayers,” the GECOM chair said. The Elections Commission, she said, is appreciative of the extensive work done by the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield and his team at the GECOM Secretariat.

“On behalf of the Commission, I have to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to our CEO and his hardworking secretariat. They did a fantastic job,” the GECOM Chair said.

But while the elections were executed with minor hitches, GECOM has been extremely slow in delivering the results, much to the dissatisfaction of the masses. Cognisant of this fact, Justice Singh has called on the nation to have patience.

“I will ask you to be very patient; the results are trickling in, and the process of verification is being conducted,” she said.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_05_2020

– even as businesses return to normalcy 

REGION Two residents are eagerly anticipating announcement of the results of the recently concluded General and Regional Elections. Although they are aware that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) won the region with 18,752 votes, they are still living in uncertainty as to which party will lead the country.

The region had 39,979 eligible voters with only 26,492 casting their votes or a 70 per cent turnout.

A drive around the town of Anna Regina revealed that businesses were opened and were carrying out their routine business activities; schools were also opened. Businesses in the commercial centre in Anna Regina were opened; however, private companies closed their doors one hour before their usual time.

Vendors flocked the Anna Regina, Charity and Suddie markets as usual and drivers were seen flocking the car parks soliciting passengers. The atmosphere in the region remained calm days after the elections.

In Queenstown, at a popular pub, many PPP/C supporters were seen celebrating. On the table they had the party flag claiming victory. Other bars in the town of Anna Regina also had persons celebrating the region’s victory.

This newspaper reached out to a few residents who expressed their satisfaction with the regional results. Maybel Mahadeo related that she is happy that the PPP/C won the region because she voted for them and she has confidence that they can lead Guyana.

Another resident from Queenstown, Andre Junior, said he believes GECOM should announce the results soonest since the entire Guyana is in suspense.

“I am willing to accept whatever decision it is, we are all Guyanese, the public needs to know what’s going on, how long will [we] be waiting?” Junior said.

Another resident from Sparta village echoed Junior’s sentiments, stating that GECOM should declare the results and let Guyanese continue to live in peace and harmony.

“The world is watching us, we need to be strong as a nation, but GECOM needs to release the results so we can continue with our life,” Rosie Samlall said.

Commander of ‘G’ Division, Crystal Robinson, said the police are continuing to monitor the region and security has been strengthened.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_05_2020

VOTING in Region Three kept to traditional outcome, and saw the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) maintaining its grip on the region where it won 66.1 per cent of the 72,608 valid votes cast in the General Elections in the region.

The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) received 23, 811 to also maintain its over 30 per cent share in the Region. The results mean that the PPP/C will preserve its allocation of two of the Region’s three geographical seats in the 65 seat National Assembly. The party will also sustain majority seat in the 27 seat Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

In the Regional Elections, the PPP/C cleared 47,890 votes while the APNU took 23,824 votes. The results were officially declared on Wednesday morning by the region’s Returning Officer, Mohanlall Jagdeo, at his office at Vreed-en-Hoop, in the presence of agents for both parties, as well as observers from the European Union.

Elections agent for the APNU+AFC, Aubrey Norton, shared, however, that his party has already written Jagdeo requesting a recount of the entire region’s ballot boxes. “At the party level, we have agreed for a recount of Region Three, giving reasons for it in the letter; I just delivered the letter to him [Jagdeo]. Elections in this region went smooth but we always said with the kind of [Official Electors] list there was room for skullduggery. We do believe everything didn’t go fair,” Norton said as he exited the RO’s building on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Assistant Elections Agent for the Party, John Adams, had indicated that the party had concerns about two polling stations on the West Coast Demerara following allegations of Disciplined Services ballots not being counted and another of spoilt ballots being counted. In the case of the uncounted Disciplined Services ballots, Adams said that according to reports, a Presiding Officer (PO) at a polling station in Vergenoegen failed to stamp, intermix and count Disciplined Services ballots assigned to that polling station. Those ballots, Adams said, were left in a separate envelope and never counted.

The other case alleges that a PO at a Parika polling station assigned a number of spoilt ballots to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). Following the declaration of elections results, parties are afforded a period during which they can request, and must be afforded a recount of ballots.

PPP Election agent, Priya Manickchand, meanwhile, thanked the Region for continuing to place their trust in that party. She said that while the APNU+AFC requested recount should be accommodated, as is provided for by law, nothing could change the significant lead that the party enjoys in the Region.

“The PPP/C has won the Region by in excess of 24,000 votes; we are very pleased. The people of Region Three have spoken and their voices have been heard which they have a right to do; we’re very glad that that happened,” Manickchand commented.

Though percentage in the region for both of the major political parties remained the same, both parties saw significant increases of votes received. In 2015, the PPP/C received 40,480 votes in the General Elections, gaining 7,375 more votes at last Monday’s elections. The APNU+AFC, in 2015, had 20,913 votes, seeing an increase of 2,898 more votes this year.

A total of 100,758 persons were scheduled to vote in the Region, which saw a turnout of 72 per cent.

In a surprising turn of events for the region, however, Change Guyana, headed by hotelier, Robert Badal took over as the third most popular individual political party in the region, taking 318 votes in General Elections and 388 in the Regional elections. In the General Elections, the party came just ahead of A New and united Guyana (ANUG), headed by former PPP/C executive member, Ralph Ramkarran, which had 310 votes. ANUG did not contest in the Regional Elections.

However, ANUG’s votes will be combined and counted jointly with the votes of The New Movement (TNM), which received 56 votes, which will place the partnership ahead of Change Guyana. The Regions native party, the United Republican Party (URP) found itself pushed out from its fourth place by a number of newcomers. With 43 votes, the party finished last of the eight parties on the Region’s General Elections ballot. With 179 votes, the party finished fourth in the Regional Elections, where the religious People’s Republic Party (PRP) finished with 151. PRP had 135 votes in the Regional Elections. The only other contesting party in the Region, The Citizen’s Initiative (TCI), also failed to make any significant mark in this Region, taking a paltry 80 votes in the General Elections; they did not contest the Regional Elections.

Source:  https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_05_2020

By Svetlana Marshall

THE absence of Campaign Financing Legislation, in Guyana, is a cause for major concern, the International Electoral Observation Missions have said, even as they challenged the country to put adequate legislative systems in place to provide for transparency and accountability within political parties.

Currently, financing of political parties and campaigns in Guyana is guided by the Representation of the People Act, however, the legislation only mandates that candidates and their agents submit reports on their expenditures to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) at the end of the electoral process. This provision, the Electoral Observation Missions said, is woefully inadequate.

In delivering the European Union Election Observation Mission’s (EU EOM’s) preliminary statement on Monday’s General and Regional Elections, the Chief Observer, Urmas Paet alluded to the fact that political parties and their candidates raise funds from private sources in-country and abroad, without any limitations regarding the source or amount of donation. The situation, he said, is further compounded by the fact that there is no legislative requirement for these political parties to disclose sources of funding though Guyana has given international commitment to root out corruption.

“Guyana acceded to the UN Convention against Corruption in 2008, but its legal framework is insufficient to provide for transparency and accountability in political party and campaign finance. There is no system of public financing for political parties or election campaigns,” Paet told journalists during a press conference at the Guyana Marriott on Wednesday.
He said based on observation by the EU EOM, the ruling A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had significant funds at their disposal, “unmatched” by any other party.

“With implicit consent of the two main political contenders, GECOM does not assume its oversight responsibility to monitor campaign finance,” he further noted.

In the existing legislation, there is a cap on parties’ expenditure during the campaign season, however, it is outdated, as well as the financial sanctions for parties’ failure to disclose the amount of money spent. These provisions, however, were never implemented. “GECOM and all parties admitted that the legal provisions for campaign finance have never been implemented,” the Chief of Mission stated.

The Commonwealth Observer Group, in Guyana, made similar observations when its Chief of Mission, Rt Hon Owen Arthur delivered an interim statement on Wednesday at Cara Lodge. Arthur, a former Prime Minister of Barbados, underscored the need for Campaign Financing Laws and regulations in the country. “The current limit on expenses ranges from GY$25,000 to GY$50,000 or the equivalent of US$125-250, this is clearly outdated,” the Commonwealth Chief Observer said.

Similar observations were recorded by the Organisation of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Mission (EOM). It, however, was keen on noting that in addition to lack of adequate provisions for the disclosure of sources of contributions, there is no established procedure that guides the use of state resources.

As such, the OAS EOM, led by Jamaica’s former Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, advocated for modernized legislative frameworks to be put in place to foster greater transparency and accountability along the campaign trail.

“The Mission, therefore recommends: that as recommended in 2015, the existing legislation should be revised and modernized to include clear limits on campaign spending, the identification of the sources of funding, the prevention of anonymous donations, and the limitation of private and in-kind donations to political and electoral campaigns,” Golding submitted. He added that consideration should also be given to the inclusion, in such a regulatory framework, of state funding for political parties and campaigns. Golding went one step further and submitted the OAS model legislation on campaign finance for consideration by the Guyanese leaders.

While the major parties in Guyana have long indicated their commitment to putting the requisite legislation in place to facilitate transparent campaign financing, the issue remains a live one. Throughout the entire electoral season, only The Citizenship Initiative (TCI), a small political party, made public its campaign finances which totalled $2.5M at the end of January, 2020.

The Carter Centre, after observing the 2015 General and Regional Elections, recommended that a campaign financing legislation be introduced to ensure transparency in the sources of funding to contesting political parties. “Guyana should consider establishing and enforcing realistic limits on campaign expenditures to help promote equity, and avoid inequalities in access to resources, which undermine the democratic process,” the Carter Center had said. To date, the Center’s position remains the same.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_05_2020

…verification suspended Wednesday night for want of agents
…dispute over method of verification of Region 4 SOPs stalls declarations

By Lisa Hamilton
GUYANA awaits the verification of Statements of Poll (SOPs) belonging to polling stations in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) before the final declaration of the results of Monday’s general and regional elections, even as the process was suspended twice on Wednesday due to disagreements on how they ought to be tabulated and the unavailability of staff respectively.

There was much commotion outside the tabulation and media centre of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Wednesday, after discrepancies were noted in the tabulation of the region’s SOPs. The process was therefore halted at around 15:30hrs by Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield.

The matter drew the attention of leaders and representatives from all political parties; members of the diplomatic corps; international and local observers and the GECOM Commission and staff which all made their way to the centre located at the Ashmins building, downtown Georgetown.

By 17:00hrs, noticing the constant arrival of high-profile officials, a crowd began to form at the cross roads opposite the building. The media had been notified earlier by Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward at 15:30hrs that party agents did not agree on the verification process for the region and the CEO therefore ended the process. The media quickly made their way over to the scene and, after a lengthy wait, was able to speak with the CEO when he exited the building.

He stated that the commission was scheduled to re-commence its verification process of SOPs collected for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) on Wednesday, and did so smoothly until the Region’s Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo, fell ill and had cause to be hospitalised.

Mingo was seen being transported from the GECOM tabulation centre around 10:30hrs with an oxygen mask into a waiting ambulance with the assistance of medical practitioners. “So, there was an initial stoppage. We couldn’t have recommenced until much later when the clerk to the Returning Officer was advised to continue the process,” he said.
It was shortly after the process recommenced at around 14:00hrs that an alarm was raised about discrepancies noted in the SOPs being tallied. Reports are that a summarised spreadsheet was used by a GECOM Clerk who took over from Mingo and the results on the sheet did not match that of the SOPs with the number of votes appearing higher than the number of voters.

“During the process some errors were discerned. We would have completed the first eight statements and there were some errors contained in six of eight statements, for example. The representatives of the parties along with the observers spoke with me, we stopped the process, I enquired what is [and] I was advised and I advised my staff along with the [party] agents and the observers that I’ll engage Madame Chair and the Commissioners as to the way forward,” Lowenfield said.

Subsequently, Chair of the GECOM, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, deliberated with members of the commission and came to the decision that the SOPs for Region Four will be verified by “statement to statement”.

If errors continue, Lowenfield said that there is a prescribed procedure and if this too fails he will be involved with his SOPs to have a resolution to the issues. “Be prepared that we’ll be working through the evening to bring closure so that we can move to the next subset which is the declarations of the results of District Four,” an internal video which later surfaced showed Lowenfield telling those authorised to be in the center.

There are 300 plus statements for the Region to be completed and the process will commence with the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) followed by the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and any other remaining statements for the region. There are about 192 SOPs in EBD and about 170 in the ECD while the verification process for North and South Georgetown has been completed. Once this is completed, there will be a public declaration for the region. The law prescribes that once there is a declaration, any requested recounts can be done within noon of the following day.

SPREADSHEET

Prior to the official report on the matter, Lowenfield, and several party members, spoke to the media giving their account of the situation. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams said that while the opposition has accused the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) of being behind the discrepancies, it was a GECOM staff which presented a new spreadsheet which didn’t sit well with the party agents.

“The spread sheet was something that was inherited from their time. They used to verify with spreadsheets, now they don’t want spreadsheets they want to use Statements of Polls. We have no objection, let’s just get it over with,” he said. “It’s GECOM’s document. GECOM can, under the law, regulate its own procedure so GECOM could decide it wants to use a spreadsheet but GECOM has agreed to use the Statements of Poll.”

Speaking on behalf of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Opposition General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, said that all parties had agreed on a way forward. “I’m satisfied with the steps that they have taken now,” he said. He was pleased that the commission agreed to put up a screen for the visible display of the SOPs tabulated and when sub-districts are finished, the results will be printed and given to all political parties for reconciliation.

Meanwhile, The Carter Center’s Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and grandson of former US President Jimmy Carter, Jason Carter, said that the agreement made between GECOM and involved stakeholders regarding the tabulation of SOPs should see resolution soon.

“You need to be patient and you need to make sure that the count is accurate and more so to make sure that it’s quick. So, they’re in there with maximum transparency trying to ensure that everybody gets to take a look at each of the Statements of Polls to determine precisely what the actual count was,” he said. “It may take some time but we call on everyone to be patient and peaceful as we await the results.”

US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, and British High Commissioner to Guyana, Gregg Quinn, also notified the media that the situation was resolved and the re-tabulation process would be restarted. The crowd of persons opposite the centre had now increased and members of the public were voicing their concerns in relation to the tabulation of the region’s votes.

Asked what words of advice he would leave to the anxious public, Lowenfield said: “They should remain calm. At the moment, what the commission is striving to ensure — while we understand the anxiety on the part of the citizenship — we do not want to ensure transparency is lost in the entire process. So, at the time the whole posture is to ensure that there is transparency in the process and plead with citizens to remain calm so that we have the correct results that will be the satisfaction of, I dare say, to all.”

However, although these reports seemed positive, at around 20:00hrs that same night, the agreement fell apart. There are disagreements surrounding a decision to stop the verification process for the night although it was previously agreed that stakeholders would work through the night. Region Four, which holds the country’s largest amount of voters, is the only outstanding Region from which declarations have not been made. The Region holds 879 polling stations and 285,618 electors. It could be the deciding factor for which party wins the elections.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_05_2020

RESIDENTS of the mining town of Linden, on Wednesday, celebrated the landslide victory they delivered to the coalition with a grand motorcade that started from Amelia’s Ward and culminated at the popular ‘Five Corner’ Junction, where a grand after party was held.

Another commenced at the Wisroc Junction and culminated on Burnham Drive. Scores of vehicles joined the procession, hocking their horns to victory while waving their coalition flags and playing campaign songs. Leading them was a sound truck playing hyped and celebratory music. Scores of Lindeners spectated at street corners along the route, cheering them on and waving their coalition flags. At the Five Corner they were welcomed by another large crowd who were partying, blowing horns and waving their coalition flags.
Former Member of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira, said that the activity was only a celebration of the regional win and is not to be mistaken as a premature celebration of the coalition’s victory at the general elections. He urged residents to remain patient and wait on GECOM for official results. “I assure supporters to remain calm and patient and allow GECOM to do its work in bringing us free, fair and credible elections,” Figueira said.

When the Guyana Chronicle spoke to some residents, they basically said they were celebrating victory. “Victory for the coalition, we gon celebrate whole night tonight. Let the blow, blow, blow. Victory for the coalition,” he said. Meanwhile business in Linden was as normal. The market arena was buzzing with activities and schools did not see a decline in attendance by neither teachers nor children. Pensioners were busy collecting their pensions, public transportation was available and restaurants and bars were opened.

There lingered however, a feeling of anxiety and nervousness in the atmosphere and the talk of the town remained on the elections results being declared. With Linden being a APNU+AFC stronghold, residents were naturally disappointed in the PPP gaining victory for almost all of the regions the results were declared for thus far. They remained hopeful that the APNU+AFC will make a grand come back with a landslide victory from Region Four. Thus far, the coalition secured regional victory in Regions 10 and Eight.

In Region 10, the APNU+AFC secured approximately 19153 votes out of the 22130 valid votes that were cast on elections day. This is approximately 3000 more votes, compared to the 16791 that were cast at the 2015 Regional and General Elections. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP), managed to pick up about 3202 votes, which is about 250 more votes that were cast in 2015. Other small parties that made some in roads in Region 10, include Change Guyana with 187 votes, the People’s Republic Party with 69 votes and the United Republic Party, with about 119 votes. There was a 66 per cent voter turnout in Region 10. In 2015, 19742 persons voted, while in 2020, 22130 votes were cast. Out of these, there were 311 rejected votes.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_05_2020