ASSISTANT Elections Agent for Re­gion Three, ,John Adams, on Tuesday, confirmed th.at the verification of votes in that region has been completed and declared by the Region’s Returning Officer, Mobanlall Jagdeo, where au approximately 67 per cent voter turn­out is said to have been recorded. 

Adams, at the time, could not say what the results from the Region were, while efforts to contact Jagdeo by telephone up to late last evening proved futile. Howev­er, speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, earlier on Tuesday, Jagdeo had shared that his verification of the results in the Region began since Monday evening. 

“It started last [Monday] night, we closed off around 4:00am. We are trying to finish it by (Tuesday],” Jagdeo had said. 

He noted that the verification process had been scheduled to recommence at 13:00hrs on Tuesday. Adams said it was completed approximately 16:00hrs. 

“It was because most of the information that the Returning Officer had, it was actually the same that we had. If there was a one or a two, it wouldn’t ‘t have changed the results in any way,” Adams related. 

Many voters are currently in suspense as they await the district and then national declarations of the results of Monday’s General and Regional elections, which, over the past few months, has been called the “mother of all elections” for Guyana. 

Polls closed across the country at 18:00hrs on March 2, marking the end­ing to voting, which commenced at 06:00hrs. The votes were then counted by the respective Presiding Officers of the polling stations, before ballot boxes and statement of polls were handed over to the Deputy Returning Officers (ORO), who then transmitted them to the ROs of the respective Regions. 

The ROs are required to verify the SOPs, before declaring the results as the official results of the region. Chief Elec­tions Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, during a press conference on Tuesday, related that the respective Returning Of­ficers were expected to publicly declare the results of their regions once verified. 

It is unclear where or how Jagdeo pub­licly declared results for Region Three. 

Some 100, 758 voters were scheduled, to vote in Region Three, across 355 poll­ing stations. The Region saw a 16 per cent increase􀁕e in the number of registered voters, however, the 67 per cent turnout is down from the 73.5 per cent turn out that the region experienced at the 20 15 General and Regional elections. 

The region has traditionally been one dominated by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPPC), which has main­tained a stable 65 per cent claim in the Region, which it registered at both the 2015 and 20 I I general and regional elections. The PPP’s main rival, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), however, has been gaining momentum in the Region. 

At the 2011 elections, that party won 27.6 per cent of the votes; this was up to 33.4 per cent at the 2015 elections. 

Significant to voters in the Region is that it is home to PPP presidential can­didate, lrfaan Ali. When contacted on Tuesday for a comment on his party’s performance in the Region, Ali would only say that he was in a meeting.

The Guyana Chronicle has been making repeated efforts to contact Ali since voting took place on Monday, however, Ali has continually refused to speak with this publication. 

The Region is also home to the United Republic Party (URP), headed by presidential candidate, Dr. Vishnu Bandhu. 

However, the Region, over the years, has not been kind to the URP, which is yet to ever an1ass a seat from the Region, whether in the National Assembly or in the Regional Democratic Council (RDC). 

In 2015, the party only received an insignificant 54 of the 62, 154 votes cast in the Region that year.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e_paper_03_04_2020

WEDNESDAY’S recount of the votes cast at the General and Regional Elections, saw 86 ballots from a single Polling Station in Sophia, Georgetown being deemed rejected – 83 from the General Elections and three (3) for the Regional Elections.

The records show that on March 2, 2020, 184 electors from a list of 256 turned up to vote at Sophia Nursery School, Poll Station 4549. But of the 184 ballots cast, only 101 were deemed valid for the General Elections, the other 83 were rejected.

According to the Observation Report, which was generated, of the rejected ballots, 82 were rejected “for want of official mark,” meaning it lacked the official six digit stamp. The other rejected ballot was marked for more than one Party List of Candidates.

The report, which was seen by the Guyana Chronicle, indicated that 69 of the rejected ballots were marked in favour of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) while 12 were marked in favour of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

For the Regional Elections, there were 182 valid votes cast, and three ballots within Ballot Box 4549, which were deemed rejected – two because of the absence of the official six digit stamp and another because it was marked in favour of more than one List of Candidates.

“It was noted by the APNU+AFC agent that the rejected ballots for want of official mark, the extra official mark was seen on the Regional Part of the Ballot,” a section of the Observation Report read.

It is believed that the error was on the part of the Assistant Presiding Officer (APO), who reportedly folded the ballots incorrectly resulting in only part of the ballots being stamped.
The alarming number of rejected ballots for want of an official mark was among issues raised with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) by the APNU+AFC.

During her most recent press conference on Monday, GECOM Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward said there were 1,536 rejected ballots for the General Elections based on the five Electoral Districts for which Certificates of District Tabulation have been generated. The rejected ballots for the Regional Elections totaled 1,927.

Ward explained that a ballot is deemed rejected “for want of official mark, which is the stamp, unmarked or void of uncertainty, marked for more than one party List of Candidates, or mark so that the Elector can be identified.”

“Anything within those categories is what constitutes a rejected ballot,” she added.
While Ward was able to provide a breakdown of the ballots rejected thus far based on the five regions certified, she was unable to indicate how many of those ballots were unstamped. There have been cases in which half of the ballot was stamped and the other half unstamped. According to her, the Commission is still deliberating on how it will treat with the ballots that were partially stamped.

“At this point I can’t say where they are at with their discussion,” Ward said while noting that there is a concern that some of the unstamped ballots may be that of members of the Disciplined Services. The Disciplined Services – members of the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force and Guyana Prison Service – voted 10 days ahead of E-Day.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_06_04_2020

Dear Editor
SOME forty years ago as a student of law at UWI, I bought one of Lord Denning’s literary master pieces. It is titled “The Discipline of Law.” At page 26, there is a strange sub-heading- “unusual common sense”. That great jurist with accustomed erudition elucidates why to be truly right might require that you avoid and abandon rules of technicalities. Statistics which does nothing but shows off one’s dispensation to accountancy, can amount to an abandonment of common sense.

Christopher Ram, it is, who by his pendantic, callous criticism of “Harmon, Norton and Williams” has, paradoxically displayed irrelevancy, coupled with a reckless, comedial disregard, and abandonment of common sense (“Foolishness peddled by Harmon, Norton, Williams and their recount agents cannot pass common sense test” S.N Sunday May 31st, 2020).

Editor, it is public knowledge that Christopher Ram (CR) is an accountant. But, you cannot by an indulgence in extravagant statistical/accounting technicalities, disagree that if, inter alia as regards “Ballot Box 779..352 ballots were issued… 377 were discovered in the box at the recount” (quoting from “We need Answers” Joseph Harmon GC Sunday May 31st, 2020) that, (without offending common sense) that is a glaring irregularity, (being only but one of the plethora of irregularities/ anomalies exposed at the recount process), the question then becomes: what is the veracity of those exposures? There can be no doubt or question given Caricom’s oversight its high visibility, of the transparency, and reality of disclosure and exposures; and hence their veracity. Our common sense tells us that there CANNOT be more genuine ballots than the 352 genuine ballots that were issued to the presiding officer. For there to be 377 (25 more) is irregularity, rigging most foul. No amount of what in this recount context, is Ram’s statistical rubbish can make or convert 352 into 377! Yet that is CRs pious endeavor in his letter even as he castigates “Harmon, Norton, Williams” for “foolishness” self aggrandized claim to be endowed with common sense (much less unusual common sense) must be scrutinized. We do this scrutiny best by asking some questions.

What does CR knows about common sense when in his letter he gives the impression that Norton is contending that dead people actually voted, when common sense should tell him that what Norton was saying, must have been saying, and must be understood to have been saying is that some PPP/C electors who voted on March 2nd, 2020, ALSO VOTED for persons deceased, but whose name remained on the bloated OLEs. What does CR knows about common sense, when he was the litigant who went to the High Court to prevent Gecom’s House to House registration exercise aimed at correcting an obviously bloated OLE of some 660,000 18-year and older electors, while common sense must have screamed at him telling him that it was more than a “statistical probability” (to use his favourite phrase); it was an obvious unreality, that in a population of some 750,000 ( Guyana being a country of historically young people majority population) it was AN IMPOSSIBILITY TO HAVE A GENUINE OLE of some 660,000. Yet it was his obsession that come hell or high water, Gecom was to conduct the 2020 GREs with that bloated OLE (the fact of the Courts’ ruling in his favour proves nothing but that in Court, legal technicalities can sometimes trump common sense – Lord Denning under his sub heading “ unusual commonsense” stubbornly decried and denounced such).

What does CR know about common sense (allied with common human experiences) when he, in his “statistical probability” gymnastic contortion, seeks to give the impression that the corruption of party agents at the place of polls, and corruptibility of party agents (being after all but humans with human frailties) is an impossibility! Every lawyer (be you criminal or civil law practitioner – CR is also a lawyer) knows from his/her practice, that humans are corruptible, can be corrupted. (I would submit, boldly, that among the party agents and POs there must have been (as the recount is revealing many) Charandass Persauds).

What does CR knows about common sense, when to embellish his argument, he draws a nonsensical correlation between “municipal elections” and the 2020 GREs, when common sense tells us (and we all know) that there is not, has never been, and arguable, will never be (generally at any rate and rarely exceptionally) an equal, a similar voter excitement or enthusiasm, and turn out in municipal elections, as there is (locally, regionally, internationally) for General/ National election. Comparing “municipal elections” (by reference to which CR makes the deduction that the PPP/C won the 2020 GRE- a manifest non sequitur) is like CR equating his wealth with that of the American Bill Gates, or the Amazon owner!
What does CR know about common sense which screams at him, is in his face, and he sees it not, and hears it not, to stop exposing and revealing his pathological dislike and angst for APNU+AFC (and by extension its leader President David. A. Granger) by the sheer tenor of his letters, and his litigation in Court, because such exposure and revelation (unwitting or intentional) shows, manifestly, that pathologically, he was not a “fit and proper” person to be Gecom Chairman, and that President Granger (as if endowed with Divine pre-science) exercised his constitutional “own deliberate judgement” with what, history will show to be historic consequentiality in condignly rejecting him as one of Jagdeo’s nominee for that vaunted constitutional office. The signs are ominous, to put it mildly.

What does CR know about common sense, when he disavows it in his misguided, misplaced theoretical fantasy with “ statistical probability”; when as a lawyer, he ought to know, that as Lord Reid once said in the House of Lords (“.. The life blood of the law is not logic but common sense”, Haughton v Smith (1973)] and that is why (lay men) juries are directed by Judges to apply their common sense when making finding of facts, and Judges when confronted by seemingly insuperable difficulties as to finding the intent when interpreting legislation, resort to common sense as did Lord Evershed, MR in the elction case of Knowles v. Zoological Society of London (1959)- interpretation of the words “:entitled to vote” in aby-law].

And how can CR accuse Basil Williams SC, of peddling “nonsense” as regards the learned Attorney General’s rejection (with which in my letter I have concurred “ Nandlall’s argument must be rejected” GC, on-line Friday 29th May, 2020) of the PPP/C (more particularly Anil Nandlall) contention that Gecom has no jurisdiction under its enabling Order to resolve irregularities/ anomalies exposed in the national recount, when there can be no greater nonsense that the PPP/C argument and approach to this matter that BY AND UNDER the selfsame order (to which it agreed) which enables Gecom to disregard (or at any rate put in temporary abeyance) Mingo’s (the RO of Region four) declaration which effectively makes the APNU+AFC the winner of the 2020 GREs, GECOM, has, for some inexplicable reason, disabled and denied itself the power to consider and deliberate upon allegations of irregularities/anomalies which, as it must be obvious, is the very raison d’ etre for PPP/C objection to Gecom’s reliance on Mingo’s declaration. A greater, confusion, obfuscation and volte face there cannot be.

Readers, observe that I have disdainfully, said nothing about CRs self-righteous notion of the incorruptibility of the PPP/Cs executives, which needs only to be stated, to be rejected. And as to Nandlall’s distasteful use of “misfits and miscreants” in his June 1st, 2020 letter, I recommend that he reads Adam Harris’ OP-ED “Beware the Person who cries the loudest” GC Sunday 31st May, 2020.

En passant, I need not say much in relation to a letter (which has been brought to my attention) by learned counsel Nandlall under caption: “Constitution entrust High Court with exclusive jurisdiction to determine lawful conduct of elections, Gecom has no role” SN, Monday 1st June, 2020. The reader is referred to my Friday 29 letter. Suffice to say that a provision in the constitution cannot, in law, be unconstitutional nor can constitutionality be divisible, or seerable. Article 162 (1) (b) under which Gecom (in my consistent view has wrongly arrogated to itself the disputed power, for the time being, has delayed Mr. Granger’s assumption of the Presidency consequent upon the holding of the 2020 GREs and Region 4 ROs declaration, is as much part and parcel of the 1980 Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana as the other 231 articles (albeit, of course, not necessarily of equal constitutional value as those entrenched by the framers with the requirement of a referendum for their alteration) Article 163 is NOT one of those eleven (11) deepest entrenched provisions/ articles. For those of us who understands the intricacies of constitutional law, article 163 has no deeper constitutional value than article 162. In a subsequent letter (perhaps) I may elucidate as to why Nandlall’s preoccupation with the “exclusive jurisdiction” of the High Court is somewhat misguided, as exclusive there is intended to indicate that the Court of Appeal has no original jurisdiction in Election Petition matters (contrast article 177).

I end with this: “fairness” as prescribed by article 162 (1) (b) of the Constitution bears no constitutional definition. Fairness cannot be a matter of ephemeral political expediency or convenience. And every Lawyer (including Ram, Nandlall, Ramkarran SC) knows that it is, and must be, for Gecom to determine for itself what the delivery of that “fairness” requires in the context of the present election hiatus. Gecom cannot be expected to retreat into a state of regulatory agoraphobia.

Regards,
Maxwell E. Edwards

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_06_04_2020

…contends that any results from elections cannot be considered credible because of the high incidence of fraud
…Werk-en-Rust man tells GECOM he was out but listed as voted

DESPITE attempts to discredit a list of names provided to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) by the Guyana Police Force Immigration Department, one person has thus far stepped forward, confirming that he was indeed out of the jurisdiction on elections day, and therefore, could not have voted.

His name – Adler Bynoe, was reportedly crossed off on the Official List of Electors (OLE), adding weight to claims by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) that unscrupulous people not only voted in the place of the dead, but also in place of persons who were out of the country on March 2 when the general and regional Elections were held.

Bynoe was listed among 172 persons, who the Commissioner of Police, Leslie James, said were out of the jurisdiction on Elections Day based on immigration records. At the time, the Police Commissioner, who is also the Chief Immigration Officer, was responding to a letter from the Chair of the Elections Commission, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh. In light of allegations made by the APNU+AFC, the Chair had submitted, to the Police Commissioner, a list of 207 names for verification.

One day after the Police Commissioner submitted his list to the Elections Commission, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) embarked on a campaign to discredit the list – posting videos on its social media platforms of persons indicating that they were in Guyana on elections day, and had voted.

But Bynoe, in a letter to the Chair of the Elections Commission on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, confirmed that he was out of the jurisdiction as indicated by the Chief Immigration Officer. “I can confirm that as a citizen of Guyana, GECOM duly registered me as an elector and my name appeared on GECOM’s Official List of Electors for the 2020 General and Regional Elections. Further, I can confirm that I am usually resident in Guyana, although I was out of the jurisdiction on elections day,” Bynoe wrote.

The Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown resident penned the letter to the Chair of GECOM out of concern after he saw his name published in the Kaieteur Newspaper, among a list of persons, who were out of the country on March 2, but are alleged to have voted at the General and Regional Elections. Bynoe made it known that he is not apart any scheme to defraud the electorate.

“I reject any contention that I may have supported electoral fraud,” Bynoe made clear, while “seeking confirmation from GECOM as to whether or not someone did vote on my behalf without my permission to do so.” The APNU+AFC has cited more than 1,200 such cases in which persons are alleged to have voted in the place of electors who were out of Guyana.

Chairman of A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Timothy Jonas, in an interview with the reporters outside of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on Wednesday, said if GECOM confirms that someone, who was out of the country on elections day, was marked down as having voted, such warrants an investigation.

“If at some point, it is proved that anybody was out of the country on elections day and you see a tick next to their name, that needs to be investigated. That is problem,” Jonas said. However, he contended that APNU+AFC has not supported its immigration claims thus far.

“Right now we are not dealing with a situation where something has been proven; right now we are dealing with a situation with bare unsubstantiated allegations made,” he said.
In an attempt to cast a shadow of doubt on the list provided to GECOM by the Police Commissioner, the Kaieteur News, on Tuesday, had accused the Top Cop providing “false” information but the Guyana Police Force, in a statement that day, said it stood by the information provided.

“The Administration of the Force iterates that migration data produced by the Immigration Department of the Guyana Police Force is generated through its record system which includes an Electronic Border Management System. This system however, does not record persons who travelled illegally,” the force said in a terse statement.

That very day, the PPP/C, as part of its campaign to discredit the claims made by the APNU+AFC, accused the coalition of naming prominent Attorney, Devindra Kissoon, as one of the persons who was out of Guyana on elections day, but is alleged to have voted. But APNU+AFC, on Wednesday, said the claim was far from the truth.

“The APNU+AFC never submitted the name of Devindra Kissoon on any of their lists as a person who was not in Guyana on the date of the elections. These errors highlight that in the interest of accuracy, the PPP/C must provide evidence that the APNU+AFC counting agents identified that particular person and the serial number that was used in the process,” the ruling coalition said in a statement.

The APNU+AFC said it will continue to expose evidence of electoral fraud perpetrated on the country by the PPP/C. We will continue to do so during this recount exercise.

“The recount process has revealed that the election of March 2, 2020 was riddled with fraudulent practices; the dead voted, people out of the jurisdiction voted, many unstamped ballots, missing certificates of employment, missing poll books, ballots cast over and above the number on the OLE and other fraudulent practices,” the coalition stated.

While reminding that the recount agreed to by the President David Granger and the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, was aimed at ensuring that the results of the election can be deemed credible, APNU+AFC submitted that any results emanating from this process cannot be considered credible because of the high incidence of fraud.

“It is good to remind the PPP/C that its own Anil Nandlall declared while referring to electoral fraud that ‘once a fraud has been committed, it nullifies or voids the entire process.’” The coalition said it expects that the PPP/C will not shift the goal post and will stick to this position.

In addition to the 1,200 immigration-related cases, the APNU+AFC has cited over 800 additional cases in which it alleged that there were irregularities and discrepancies; these include cases in which persons allegedly voted on behalf of the dead. These irregularities, the coalition has argued, have affected more than 90,000 votes and ought to be thoroughly investigated by the Elections Commission before the results of the March 2 Elections are declared.

Political Scientist, Dr. David Hinds, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, said that GECOM, under the Constitution and Elections Law (Amendment) Act, has the authority to investigate the anomalies ahead of the declaration of the results, and ought to do so.
“If it could, as the court has said, look into the complaints about the tabulation of Region Four votes, then it can investigate and pronounce on other forms of inconsistencies,” Dr. Hinds submitted, while underscoring the need for GECOM to facilitate a thorough investigation.

He said the discrepancies discovered thus far have already called into question the credibility of the March 2 Elections. “I think the irregularities uncovered thus far are enough to call into question the credibility of the elections. You simply cannot have a credible outcome if the process is as compromised as we are finding out. The numbers cannot be right if the process is wrong. It is as plain and clear as that,” the political scientist reasoned.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_06_04_2020

… Regions 6, 10 to be completed today

By Svetlana Marshall 

TODAY, the two remaining ballot boxes from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) will be completed, paving the way for all 12 workstations at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) to be assigned to Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) as the completion of the National Recount nears. 

On Wednesday, votes within 84 ballot boxes were recounted bringing the total number of ballot boxes processed to date to 2,013. As such, there remain 326 ballot boxes to be processed, of which 324 are from Region Four – the country’s largest electoral block.

Of the boxes processed on Wednesday, 40 were from Region 4 while 20 were from Region Six, and 24 from Region I 0. At the current rate at which the boxes are being processed, the recount of all the votes s likely to be completed on Sunday or Monday latest.

Notably, votes cast in seven (7) of the IO Electoral Districts have been recounted, and as such the focus now is on Regions 4, 6 and 10. All the votes from Region One (Barima-Waini), Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demer­ara), Region Five (Ma­haica-Berbice), Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) have been recounted 

REGION ONE

 Based on the votes re­counted for Region One, the A Partnership for Na­tional Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) secured 3,909 votes in the General Elections while the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) raked in 170, PPP/C 8002, People’s Republic Party 24 and the United Republican Party, six – a total number of 12, I I I valid votes cast. According to statistics coming out of GECOM’s Tabulation Cen­tre at the ACCC, there were 328 rejected ballots and 41 spoilt ballots. 

In the Regional Elec­tions, the APNU+AFC raked in 3,843 votes while LJP secured 144, the PPP/C, 7, 996 and the URP 77 votes. There were a total of 12, 060 valid votes cast by a total of 12, 440 persons who had presented themselves on March 2 to vote in Region One. 

REGION TWO 

Meanwhile in Region Two, the APNU+AFC secured 7,340 votes in the General Elections while the PPP/C raked in 18,785 votes. A New and United Guyana (ANUG) received 85 votes while Change Guyana (CG) 151, LJP 121, PRP 57, The Citizen­ship Initiative (TCI) 18 and URP 64. In total, there were 26,621 valid votes cast. For the Regional Elections, the APNU+AFC received 7,290 votes while its prima­ry contender -the PPP/C – secured 18, 755. The small­er parties, Change Guyana (CG) raked in 216 votes while LJP secured 135 and UR.P 95. There was a total of 26,491 valid voters in the Regional Elections for Region Two.

REGION FIVE 

In Region Five, there were a total of33, 119 valid votes cast in the General Elections of which the AP­NU+AFC secured 14,502 based on the votes recount­ed and the PPP/C, 18,326. The remainder of the valid votes went to ANUG – 88, CG -I 00, PRP – 52, TCI -22, TMN – 10 and UR.P – 19. Based on the tabulated figures by GECOM, there were 256 rejected ballots and 6 I spoilt ballots. 

In the Regional Elec­tions for that Electoral Dis­trict, there were 33,004 val­id votes cast of which the PPP/C secured the highest number with I 8, 286 followed by the APNU+AFC with 14, 472. The remain­der of the valid votes went to CG-127, PRP-59 and URP – 60. There were a total of374 rejected ballots in the Regional Elections for Region Five. 

REGION SEVEN 

In Cuyuni-Mazaruni District, the APNU+AFC secured the highest number of votes, securing some 4,813 votes while the PPP/C raked in 3,728 votes in the General Elections. ANUG secured 77 votes, while CG raked in 67, LIP – 884, and the URP – 23. There were a total of9,592 valid votes cast while 164 were rejected. For the Regional Elections in Region Seven, the APNU+AFC secured 4,839 votes while the PPP/C received 3,703 votes followed by LJP with 925 votes. URP secured some 62 votes. There were a total of 9, 529 valid votes and 227 rejected ballots. 

The National Recount commenced on May 6 at the Conference Centre af­ter an Order was gazetted by the Chair of GECOM, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh. Initially, the re­count was set for a period of 25 days. However, the Elections Commission, last Friday, amended the Order to facilitate .June 13 extension.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_06_04_2020

— UN’s Mikiko Tanaka urges Guyanese as they await elections results

Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Guyana, Ms. Mikiko Tanaka has urged political leaders to help keep the peace and wait the decision of the Caribbean Court of Justice on the March 2, 2020 elections.

“As the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice is awaited, we call on all political leaders and their supporters to remain patient and refrain from acts and remarks that could incite hostility or violence,” Tanaka said in a terse statement Friday morning. She added: I would like to reiterate the United Nations’ commitment to continue to support the people of Guyana.”

President David Granger only this week commented that a new President cannot be sworn in, nor can a President concede unless the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) makes a declaration in favour of either of the situations. Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony at State House on Wednesday, President David Granger responded to questions in relation to the same from reporters. He noted that while it has been over 17 weeks since the March 2, 2020 General and Regional elections and though the elections have gone on for longer than anyone would hope, he cannot act in the said regard until GECOM does its part.

“The Executive branch of Government does not have a role in managing elections. That role is given unto the Constitution, exclusively, explicitly to the Elections Commission. I cannot claim victory, which I have not done, and I cannot concede defeat, which I have not done, unless I’m notified, formally, by the Chairman of the Elections Commission,” he said.

Before the commission can conclude the elections with a declaration, the current elections matter before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) must also be concluded. The CCJ must first determine whether it has jurisdiction to rule on the matter which was previously ruled upon by Guyana’s Court of Appeal and noted, in the Article 177 (4) of the Constitution, to be final. Should the CCJ determine, nonetheless, that is has jurisdiction, it could lead to a ruling on whether the Appellate Court had jurisdiction to rule on the matter as brought to the CCJ by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C).

Until then and until the commission makes a declaration, the President has encouraged all those making premature comments to exercise patience. He said: “I don’t know what the Elections Commission will declare. Like all Guyanese, we’ve been subject to various reports but the only authentic report will come from the Chairman of the Elections Commission to me and that has not happened. In that regard, I encourage all the spokespersons and commentators to wait, patiently, on the Chairman of the Elections Commission who, when she is ready, will make a declaration and, as I’ve said before, I’ll abide by that declaration.”
Next Wednesday, the CCJ will hand down its decision on whether it can assume jurisdiction in a challenge seeking to set aside the ruling of the Court of Appeal that the election of the President must be on the basis of “valid votes.”

President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders, who led a panel of five judges, made the announcement on Wednesday (July 1) after hearing more than five hours of legal arguments virtually on whether the CCJ has jurisdiction to hear the case filed by People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C’s) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo and Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali; and if it has jurisdiction, whether the Court of Appeal’s decision that the words “more voters are cast” in Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution are interpreted to mean “more valid votes are cast,” should be upheld or set aside. The ruling will be delivered at 15:00hrs on Wednesday, July 8, 2020.

The other judges in the case were Justice Jacob Wit, Justice Maureen Rajnauth-Lee, Justice Denys Barrow and Justice Peter Jamadar – all of whom appeared virtually.
In his oral submission to the panel of judges, Guyana’s Attorney General, while maintaining that the CCJ has absolutely no jurisdiction to hear an appeal to the decision of the Court of Appeal made under Article 177 (4), explained that it was widespread anomalies and cases of voter impersonation that warranted a clear indication that the President ought to be elected on the basis of “valid votes.”

“The reason for introducing valid in Article 177 (2) (b) is simple, fraudulent votes. The elections produced fraud of an unprecedented scale in the history of elections in Guyana and therefore every precaution had to be taken to ensure that in the Presidential Elections also, in Article 177 [(2) (b)], that if more votes are cast, should be crystalised,” the Attorney General explained.

At the time, he was offering clarification in response to a series of questions posed by the President of the CCJ, in addition to Justice Jacob Wit and Justice Jamadar. The judges had asked whether a President could be elected on the basis of “invalid votes,” in their quest to understand the reason behind Eslyn David’s request, in her Notice of Motion to the Court of Appeal, for there to be an interpretation of the words “more votes are cast” in Article 177 (2) (b).

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_07_04_2020

(BARBADOS TODAY) – A Barbadian citizen with family in Guyana has questioned how his name ended up on the voters’ list in Georgetown, even though he has never been registered there to vote.

The development comes as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nation continues to attract international criticism over its election process, and the struggle to give a final result, despite the elections being held over three months ago, on March 2.

Joseph Isaacs, who has a Guyanese parent but was born in Barbados, said despite living in Guyana for several years as a child, he “(doesn’t) even have citizenship in Guyana”. What is even more puzzling to the 29-year-old is that an identification number appears beside his name on the final voter’s list, which was issued on Saturday, February 1.

Isaacs was able to verify the name on the list because of the address appearing beside his name, which is the same as that of his family in the Bamia/Kara Kara (north) division.
Said Isaacs: “I don’t have a Guyanese birth certificate. I don’t have a Guyanese ID card. I don’t have a Guyanese passport. I have absolutely no documentation from Guyana. Everything I have is from Barbados. How did my name end up on the list to vote?”

He said he has tried several times to contact officials in Guyana “but they out there running politics”, and his efforts have so far proved futile. While Isaacs was born in Barbados, he returned to Guyana with his family to attend school. In August 2009, after completing secondary school, Isaacs returned to Barbados with his father without obtaining any nationality documents for Guyana. “I am not supposed to be registered in Guyana because I am not even registered as a citizen or anything so. It is just that my mother is Guyanese, and while I was there from young, all my documentations are from Barbados,” Isaacs insisted.

He said it was even difficult to obtain subsidies in Guyana while there as a child in school because he was not a citizen of that country and was often told by officials that he was “not a Guyanese”. “They always say ‘Guyanese cannot go in Barbados and access benefits so you cannot have them here,” recalled Isaacs, who added that while he was seeking work there the summer before returning to Barbados he was told he would need to obtain a work permit.

Over the past several weeks concerns have been raised over whether the voter’s list, which was made up of some 660,000 so-called registered voters from a population of about 780,000, was padded.

Some pundits have estimated that the number of eligible voters in Guyana should be approximately 500,000 and that even fewer people turned out for voting. With more than 460,000 people said to have voted in the March elections, they have argued that thousands of ballots were possibly included in the results that should not have been. All previous efforts to re-verify the list leading up to the election were reportedly thwarted, and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was said to have abandoned its efforts last year to conduct a national house-to-house census to ensure the list was up to date.

Isaacs, who read political science and law at the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, said he believed this phenomenon of a bloated list may have led to “voter’s impersonation”. “My name should not have been on the list. That is why you have a bloated list in the first place,” he added. Despite the general and regional elections taking place since March 2, 2020, officials in the South American country have struggled to come to a decision on what the final results should be, as controversy engulfs the vote-counting process.
Pic save as vote

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_07_04_2020

POLLS in the Region Eight district of Madhia closed promptly at 18:00 hrs, dropping the curtain on a smooth day of voting.

Voting at the Mahdia primary and secondary schools as well as the Campbell Town polling station got off to an early start with most of the voting done before 10:00hrs.
Reginald Sinclair, a teacher in the town said “The process went very smooth for me. I went out early and cast my ballot.”

“The process went quite smooth, everything is going well so far. It is a little slow but the process has been good,” said Feroz Mootoo, another resident.
“Everything went well for me. I went straight to the lady who actually types in your names so you know which division you are supposed to vote in. I went there first and then she gave me the direct polling station where I needed to vote and I went there,” Hycenth Joseph told Guyana Chronicle.

When asked what he would like to see from the new government, Sinclair said, “I would like to see many things from the next government, at least the continuation of what has been done in Madhia.”

Mootoo was more specific, saying: “I would like to see good health facilities, schooling education wise and other things that will benefit the community.” He recounted a recent situation where an aircraft could not get into the community fast enough to medically evacuate a patient. The patient died. To this end, he recommended better healthcare and a plane on standby for medical emergencies in the community. He added,“Last election, we asked for good roads and we got that but we would like to see a continuation of more roads like the roads to the small streets, those are not completed as yet. We would like to have more voters’ education for the elderly because there are some elderly persons because although they have voted already, they still don’t understand how to vote, some of them forgot”. 

“We also need night classes for big persons between the ages of 35 to 50. We need that here in Madhia because there are a lot of people here who don’t understand the simple stuff,” Mootoo pointed out.

INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS
The international observers also oversaw the voting process.
Two observers from the Carter Centre and another two from the European Union (EU) travelled to various sections of the town

to observe the voting process.
Italian national, Lorenzo Scirocco and French national, Pascale Le Hel, who represented the EU, spoke to Guyana Chronicle.

“So far we observed some polling stations in Madhia and the surrounding regions. We are not authorised to refer any problems or troubles because any kind of observations we have will be reported by our team in Georgetown,” Scirocco said.
Le Hel added: “We are just here to observe and there will be a press conference next Wednesday in Georgetown.”

SMOOTH ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS

Returning Officer (RO) for the region, Dwayne Marco, said the process went smoothly. At the close of polls, he commented: “So far it has been smooth even in District Number Two which is Madhia and District Number One which is Paramakatoi area. There were no major reports coming into us and we handled everything well.”

He added: “I will be expecting all my statements of poll tomorrow. Some of my statements of poll like for instance Mahdia registration area will be coming in tonight, latest by 11:00 hrs.”
The RO explained that from observations, persons went through the process very smoothly.

POLICE ‘HAPPY’

All in all when the sun set on the quiet Election Day in Madhia, the police were happy.
Superintendent Ashram, the Commander of the Division said he was pleased with the process, noting that it went smoothly and quietly.
Superintendent Wray, who was also assisting on the ground, echoed similar sentiments as his colleague.

“There were no reports of anything going badly or any issue regarding any challenges persons are facing,” he told this publication.
Some 7,210 persons are registered to vote in Region Eight, the least compared to the other nine administrative regions.

A total of 660,998 persons are registered to vote in these elections at 2,339 polling stations across the country.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_03_2020

…as thousands cast ballots in Region three

JUST over 100,000 voters were scheduled to vote in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Region at Monday’s elections, an increase of 16, 240 voters from the 2015 polls when the region recorded a 73.5 per cent voter turnout.

Of the 13 parties contesting in the elections across the country, only eight contested the general elections and five contested the regional elections, in this region. The voters were scheduled to vote across 355 polling stations stretching from Vive-La-Force on the West Bank Demerara to Parika on the West Coast, it also included voters at the Wakenaam and Leguan Islands in the Essequibo River. Among the 100, 758 voters was presidential candidate for the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) Irfaan Ali, who was reported to have voted at the Leonora Technical Institute on the West Coast Demerara, early in the day, accompanied by his wife. Despite several attempts by the Guyana Chronicle to speak with Ali during the course of the day to get his perspective on voting in the region, the presidential candidate continuously informed that he was too busy to speak with the newspaper, notwithstanding continuous promises to do so eventually. A final attempt was made at 20:00hrs when a representative informed Ali was on a call. 

Also voting in the Region was presidential candidate for the United Republic Party, Dr. Vishnu Bandhu, who, during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle at his Vreed-en-Hoop headquarters, shared that he had some concerns with certain systems put in place by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) both in Region Three and across the country. Bandhu was among the early voters when he voted at the Vreed-en-Hoop Primary School, where he did not feel enough thought was given to the arrangement of polling stations, and provision of adequate staff at the polling place.

“I am very dissatisfied with seeing the way GECOM arranged things. The downstairs in a big school was empty. They sent these people upstairs to vote and you have a vacant flat downstairs. Going upstairs, the girl checking the name had everyone flocked around her, there was no order, and she complained that she was alone there to do it. I went in the section where you have to vote, it took ten minutes for one person to vote,” Bandhu complained. With 1278 voters scheduled to vote there, the Vreed-en-Hoop Primary School was one of the Region’s busier polling places. It was divided into four polling stations. Voters, for the most part throughout the day, were peaceful and upbeat about exercising their democratic right, with many first-time voters and senior citizens excitedly turning out. “The vote very nice today, everything was so peaceful and quiet. They treat me very nice, can’t complain. I get assistance from the policeman and so to go up the steps. Came out with my wife, family them and all, we came out and vote together,” shared 65-year-old Sadeik Baksh, who, despite needing assistance to move around, ensured he came out. Baksh voted at a polling station at the Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School. At the Tuschen Primary School, 83-year-old Sumintra (only name) also needed some assistance to get to her polling station, but was determined that she would. First-time voters, 20-year-old, Deckye Marshall, and 19-year-old Naresh Jagmohan from Crane on the West Coast, were happy to be out at the Crane Primary School to cast their votes, and shared their hopes that other young people across the country were ensuring that they did same. “I feel nice. It was easy, easy,” Marshall expressed. Regional polling agent for the A Partnership of National Unity+ Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), John Adams, reported that he was satisfied, for the most part, with how voting went in the Region. “Well, the process started very smoothly, with minor hiccups. Voter turnout in APNU strongholds were high but as the day got older, the PPP was up to their dirty tricks and that caused some confusion. The people mobilized. Voting is now closed and we are awaiting tabulations,” Adams shared.

Though voting was mostly peaceful throughout the day in the Region with moderate lines at most polling stations, in the early afternoon protest broke out at a polling place in Goed Intent on the West Bank of Demerara, as allegations spread of a situation where a representative for Change Guyana, Demitrios Howard, reported that while there were some instances during the day where observed certain situations which GECOM could improve on as they allow citizens to carry out their franchise.

“There is room for improvement in a few areas. I am not totally satisfied but I am confident that if we come together to sort out certain issues, it can be handled in a professional manner. I don’t think enough was done for pregnant and persons who had children with them. A little bit more preference should have been given,” Howard shared.

Change Guyana, APNU+AFC, URP and the PPP/C, along with the People’s Republic Party (PRP) were the only parties in Region Three that contested both the general and regional elections, being the only parties that contested in the regional elections. The Citizen’s Initiative (TCI), A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and The New Movement (TNM) contested the general elections only in this region. TCI and TNM reported that they did not have any party agents in this Region.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_03_2020

In Georgetown, there was a massive showing of voters during Monday’s General and Regional Elections, with the elderly and persons with disability beating the odds to exercise their franchise.

In Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), 285,618 electors were expected to vote at 879 polling stations – the majority were drawn from Georgetown – the town’s capital city.
At the F.E Pollard Primary School on David Street, voting commenced promptly at 6:00hrs, but though there were lines of persons at the various polling stations, the process was “quick and easy” according to Bibi Alimon. “The process was good. I had no difficulties,” she told Guyana Chronicle. Alimon, who is no stranger to the electoral system, said spent less than 10 minutes in the line.

Forty-one Hamchand Balli also reported that the process was smooth. Balli said it was important for him to vote as his contribution to the electoral process would impact the development of the country. Lynnel Layne, who resides in Kitty, said voting, was “quick” and “easy” at the F.E Pollard Primary School. Layne said her vote was a vote her daughter, family, and community. “It is definitely important for me because it’s the future for me and my daughter and my decision here today, would definitely make a difference for her,” Layne told Guyana Chronicle. Twenty-five-year-old Mohamed Faizoul said having voted in the past, the electoral process was simply ease. He said whichever party forms the Government; emphasis should be placed on infrastructural development. Meanwhile at the J.E Burnham Primary Schools, two-elderly women were seen making their way to the polling stations. At 70, Elizabeth Alberto said it was important for her to vote in what is being described as the most significant elections since position elections. Alberto voted along with her sister Dolly Smith. Smith made a pitch for an increase pension, noting that it was important to face the electoral. Bruce Wills told Guyana Chronicle that the process said the process has been without hindrance.

Also at the J.E Burnham, 35-year-old Abigail Charles said she was excited to cast her ballot. “I am very excited to vote and I am hoping for the best. I have been praying for the nation of Guyana that God would restore us back to a place of reconciliation where other nations would depend on Guyana for help,” she told this newspaper. At the South Ruimveldt Secondary, a family of six voted. The relatives included Sivasaran Singh, Kishar Ramdial, Ganesh Ramdial and Geeta Ramdial. Ganesh Ramdial told Guyana Chronicle that he was pleased to have been given the opportunity to assist his brother Kishar to vote. Kishar Ramdial has not been well for some time.

“Today I am very pleased because this is the very first time that I get to help my brother vote and I am happy about that that,” he explained. The family said they are hoping to have the preliminary results today.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_03_03_2020