…APNU Region 3 agent discloses as coalition vote given to PPP

…as ‘dead man’ voted in Region 2

“CLEARLY there’re problems in these ballot boxes,” said APNU+AFC agent, Ganesh Mahipaul as he reported on his station during the opening day of the national recount of votes cast at the March2, 2020 General and Regional elections.

Mahipaul had exited the Arthur Chung Conference Centre building at around 13:40 hours coming from workstation five, dealing with the votes cast in Region Three. “The first ballot box we looked at was ballot box number 3046 and on the first count which was done at the place of poll in Leguan, it registered 16 votes for APNU/AFC and 194 votes for the People’s Progressive Party and three votes for the People’s Republic Party,” he said. “When we did this recount now there is a difference. APNU+AFC increased by one and that’s because one of our ballots was in the PPP set that had to be removed and go to APNU+AFC and there were two that were rejected for the PPP and that is because one of them was marked for more than one political party…and another the ballot was clearly torn.”

Mahipaul said that while these might seem to be a very small difference in ballots, should the same continue across-the-board at the 2,339 ballot boxes it could mean either 2,000 more or less vote for a political party in what has historically been a tight race between the country’s main political parties. He maintained: “I say to you, there are problem in these ballot boxes; there are discrepancies.”

IT TAKES TIME

Meanwhile, coming out of the centre at around 13:30 hours, another APNU+AFC agent, Carol Joseph, said that it took workstation number nine three hours and 20 minutes to complete the count of one ballot box.

She said that this was due to the number of queries and disagreements which arose during the process. Despite the challenges, she was optimistic that the count would move a bit faster in the latter part of the day as queries are resolved.

While persons have criticised the need for several clarifications during the process, Joseph said that she does not see this as a “waste of time”, as the long-awaited recount is crucial process which must be done carefully. “After we have waited so long, let us do something properly,” she said. “I think this will set the basis for any other elections to come in terms of ensuring that certain things are adhered to so we won’t find ourselves in a situation like this again.”

A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) party agents have called the attention of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to several cases wherein persons deceased or migrated may have voted in the 2020 elections. GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, said on Wednesday that the commission has taken note of these concerns and, providing that there is proof to support the claims, will deliberate on how these matters will be addressed.

CLAIMS WILL BE SCRUTINISED

Coming out of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) around 18:30 hours, Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, representing the APNU+AFC, said that there were around 15 discrepancies found just on the first day of which the majority were dead or migrants. He said that his party was certain that these would be uncovered during the recount as their research had proven such since the conduct of elections. “Our agents came prepared to challenge several anomalies which we have the evidence to [prove],” Patterson said. “In particular, we were quite aware of persons that are deceased…and we were trying to verify whether they voted or not.”

Patterson said that it took some time for GECOM to decide the means by which the anomalies would be addressed, but the commission eventually decided that the names would be placed on record in the Observation Report.

“GECOM said that they would make a decision in the end or at some point or stage in terms of how they’re going to treat with that; we just should highlight and quantify it,” he said, noting that evidence would be key in action being taken on the cases highlighted.

Meanwhile, Carol Joseph also added that when it comes to proof, the coalition party is ready to support the claims it has made. “We have proof, we’re not only saying these things you know…every objection that we have made there, when called upon we’ll prove it,” Joseph said.

‘DEAD MAN’ VOTED

Minister within the Ministry of the Presidency with responsibility for Youth Affairs, Simona Broomes, also told media operatives that anomalies were detected in the Region Two ballots being counted at workstation four. That same afternoon, a photograph was circulated on social media of a deceased man, Emanuel Williams, who allegedly somehow still voted at a polling station at Karawab Primary School.

Later, almost at the end of the day, Commissioner Vincent Alexander said that such cases are difficult because while someone by name would have died, the question of how the commission identifies the said person’s vote is the question. “At the end of the day, one would have to look at the magnitude of the occurrence and the way in which that magnitude can affect the results,” he said.

Ward also added later in the day: “For us at GECOM, we have not sought any authenticity as it relates to that information but I’m sure, now that it’s in the public domain, it is something that the commission will have to deliberate on and provide some guidance going forward.