…writes COVID-19 Taskforce to add more workstations

TWO days after the National COVID-19 Taskforce (NCTF) approved the establishment of two additional workstations from a proposed six; the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) penned a letter, asking it to reconsider its decision to allow for two more to accelerate the pace at which the 2020 Elections ballots are being recounted.

“Cognisant that it is of national importance that this recount exercise concludes as quickly as possible, it is the intention of the Chairperson [of GECOM] to write to the National Taskforce again to seek their reconsideration for an additional two workstations,” GECOM’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward, disclosed on Wednesday.

At the time, Ward was briefing reporters on a meeting of the Elections Commission that took place at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) earlier that day. Guyana Chronicle has confirmed that the letter to the COVID-19 Task Force was dispatched on Wednesday.

Initially, there was a total of 10 workstations operating for a period of 11 hours (8:00hrs to 19:00hrs) daily at the conference centre, however, the Elections Commission, in reviewing the recount exercise, took a decision last week to increase the number of workstations but sought clearance from the COVID-19 Taskforce in light of the Emergency Measures that have been in place since mid-March. On Monday, the COVID-19 Taskforce submitted its report to the Elections Commission, and though highlighting a number of infractions, approved the establishment of two additional workstations. Those new workstations were put into operation on Tuesday.

However, Ward said that though there are now a total of 12 workstations engaged in the recounting of ballots, two more workstations are needed to effectively increase the pace at which the ballot boxes are being processed; and it is the hope of the Chair of GECOM, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, that the commission receives a favourable response from the taskforce. To date, close to 800 ballot boxes have been processed, however, there are more than 1,500 ballot boxes left to be counted before the 25-day line expires if it is not extended.

In responding to a series of questions posed by reporters, Ward said that the Elections Commission’s approach to the COVID-19 Taskforce is two-fold, explaining that in light of the current health crisis, the commission requires not only permission to establish the additional workstations, but also for an assessment of the facility to be done so as to determine risks associated.

She noted that the Elections Commission is faced with two situations in which, one, it needs to complete the recount in an expeditious manner, and at the same time, minimise any possible spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

GECOM CANNOT ACT IN ISOLATION
In light of recent reports in the press, Ward cautioned that while GECOM’s independence is safeguarded by the Constitution of Guyana, it cannot operate in isolation especially when the country and the world at a large are battling with a global pandemic that claimed the lives of thousands, with 10 local deaths recorded, and more than 120 cases confirmed locally.

There has been a repeated push particularly by the main opposition – the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) – for GECOM to establish workstations as it deems necessary, but Ward underscored the importance of soliciting expert advice in this regard.

“We also need to be sure that we do not put people’s lives at risk, and we are not health professionals and therefore, while we would have to make some decisions, the guidance of those persons, who are professionals and practitioners in this particular area is of importance,” the Elections Commission Public Relations Officer reasoned.

GECOM Commissioner, Vincent Alexander, in weighing in on this issue, said though GECOM is autonomous, the issue at hand is not electoral in nature. “The question before us is not merely a question about elections; it is a health issue, a national health issue and in those circumstances there would be some other body that has authority in that regard, and GECOM has to work with that body,” Alexander reasoned while calling for mutual respect for the organs of the State.

While the commission has requested clearance for two additional stations to be added, Alexander told reporters that “given the space in there, we are going to be hard put if at all to get two.” Nonetheless, he said the commission will continue to explore its options in consultation with the taskforce.

Meanwhile, while it is the Election’s Commission intention to further accelerate the pace of the recount, Ward said that continuous discussions or disagreements among representatives from the various political parties at the level of the workstations continue to consume a considerable amount of time. “If we are to conduct this exercise in the manner that it is intended to, that is, in the interest of fairness and transparency, we have to allow for persons to be heard, to register whatever objections or present whatever cases they may so desire,” she said.

Since the start of the National Recount of the votes cast at the General and Regional Elections commenced on May 6, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) has been making a number of objections based on anomalies and irregularities cited, however, much to the objection of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) and a number of smaller political parties. Ward said it is important for the process to be executed smoothly and without delays. On Wednesday, the commission also took a decision to increase the tabulation hours for Statements of Recount (SORs). The tabulation centre will now operate from 15:00hrs to 18:30hrs. Initially, it operated from 17:00hrs and then the commission adjusted the time to 16:00hrs to 18:30hrs before this most recent decision.

As the expiration of the 25-day timeline draws near, with 15 days already exhausted, the Public Relations Officer said the Elections Commission is actively considering the extension of the timeline but no definitive decision has been made. “I must let you know that this is one of the core issues at the level of the commission, since it is the desire of the commission that this process concludes within the shortest possible time,” she posited.
That aside, the opposition and its allies have been advocating for GECOM to pronounce on return of international electoral observers, but Ward said this is outside of the remit of the Elections Commission.

“I want to emphatically state that this is outside of the remit of the commission. When it comes to international observers, there has been an established protocol, a legal protocol and so the protocol as always is that international observers go through the Executive, and once that approval and accreditation have been granted, it is then forwarded to GECOM. And so it is not for GECOM to do advocacy on that part because it steps outside of the parameters of the commission,” Ward explained.

Though pressure has been mounted on the government to grant approval for the return of the Carter Center and the International Republic Institute (IRI), the government has been resolute in its position that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Team, currently in Guyana, is competent to enough effectively observe and scrutinise the recount process.