Dear Editor,
CLAIMS are being made by the two major parties, and seemingly all others who contested the March 2 elections in Guyana, including international and local observers.
A decision has been made to recount. What are we recounting? Ballots in boxes. To make sure the ballots are correctly counted we need a verification to validate the contents of the boxes. Everything in the boxes are the evidence of elections day activities. The books, the ballots, everything in the boxes represent the evidence of claims made in the process to validate a result based on a recount.
It is for the aforementioned reasons that the irregularities raised are evidence and no longer claims. These are based on contents of the boxes or the absence thereof. Books cannot now be returned as validation; if it is missing, the recount is indicating discrepancies that cannot now be justified by books coming in two-plus months after elections voting. If dead people voted it reflects evidence and not claims: the claim is now verified and so on and so forth. I repeat everything in the ballot boxes are part of the recount, and this is not an audit, it is a verification of claims netted out by each party as claimants. Once the boxes are opened it reflects evidence. Claims are put to rest by evidence.
We cannot count anything for any party as this is not a numerical process or simplicity; we cannot attribute a simple number to any party either without knowing if that is a real number a fake/false number or unverified number. We have to know if what we are counting contributes to a valid count or not. Just like it is unprecedented to recount before a declaration so too it is unprecedented to verify what we are recounting.
To repeat, an audit comes via petition after a declaration, however we have an unprecedented recount just like we have an unprecedented verification to validate. It does not matter if you think verification is an audit or vice versa, just like it does not matter that you recount before you declare. GECOM has taken a position that all must abide.
Sincerely,
R. Chung-A-on
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_16_05_2020