…PM maintains as diplomats, other forces pressure GECOM to declare ‘tainted’ votes

By Lisa Hamilton

“THESE elections should not be nearly credible [or] approximately credible. They must be credible, absolutely credible,” asserted Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, on Wednesday, in response to the calls for the Guyana Elections Commission to declare the results of the General and Regional Elections based on the votes tabulated during the National Recount, though thousands were reportedly compromised due to widespread anomalies and cases of voter impersonation.

As widely publicised already, Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, submitted his elections report to the Chairman of the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM) on June 23, utilising only valid votes as ordered by the Court of Appeal.

His report showed victory for the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) by more than 5,000 votes and the rejection of over 100,000 votes which were tainted with irregularities, anomalies or voter impersonation.

Lowenfield’s report hasn’t been taken lightly by the main Opposition, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), and representatives of the regional and international community.

While these groups have noted irregularities coming out of the elections, they prefer that the main objector, the APNU+AFC, take up the matter by way of election petition but only after the recount data, as it is, is declared.

NOT FULLY CREDIBLE

However, as guest on an APNU+AFC programme on Wednesday, Guyana’s Prime Minister said that one cannot simply push for the declaration of any elections results as opposed to the declaration of credible results as mandated by law and as deserved by the people.

The three-member CARICOM Scrutinising Team sent to observe the National Recount had concluded in its report that the outcome of the recount of votes cast on March 2, 2020 was “reasonably credible”. The team had only observed 423 ballot boxes out of 2,339 which represents a mere 18 percent.

“Yes, the recount suggests that the poll was far from perfect but the imperfections cannot deny that the elections and therefore the recount were reasonably credible,” the CARICOM Team had stated in its report.

While some have now come out in opposition to the CEO’s report which took into consideration only valid votes cast, the Prime Minister said that the CEO is not only adhering to the ruling of the Appellate Court but, ultimately, to his responsibilities according to law.

“If you observe the ballots for 18 per cent of the entire country and you conclude that there were defects in the polling and that the process is ‘reasonably credible’, how do you expect anyone to conclude…they’re not saying that it is absolutely credible and we can verify that the elections have been credible. And so, the Chief Elections Officer, on whom the Constitution places the responsibility to pronounce on the credibility issue, in compiling the report for the results to be announced, said… ‘I cannot conclude that these elections have been fair and credible’,” the Prime Minister explained.

He added: “In some areas, there were so many multiple frauds committed that you had to be able to come to a conclusion that those votes that have been impacted by fraud ought not to be counted and that is the Constitutional role of the Chief Elections Officer and only the Chief Elections Officer.”

ADHERENCE TO LAW

Nagamootoo said that the recount of ballots cast on March 2, 2020 proved to be true the position long held by the APNU+AFC that the PPP/C has a hand in electoral fraud.

He said that while the findings within some boxes might seem to be miniscule to some, when tabulated in their total sense, amount to a grave injustice to the Guyanese people.

“We have written letters and letters, some 60 letters to the Chairman of the Elections Commission, and the Elections Commission itself, about these abnormalities and instances of fraud,” he said.

He pointed to the CEO’s report, which confirmed that illegal acts did in fact take place, and to the ruling of the Court of Appeal that directed the Commission back to the Constitution and its National Recount Order, which states that GECOM must only declare valid votes.

“We have laws and we have institutions. All the laws so far and institutions that have pronounced about the elections in our country have given clear direction. The direction is that valid votes must be used in the calculation of the results and those valid votes have been calculated. Those valid votes have been submitted to the Chairman of the Elections Commission. I believe that, based on the law and based on the sovereignty of our institution, the results should be declared on the basis of those valid votes,” the Prime Minister stated.

He said that, in such elections, the quality of ballots must take precedence over the quantity of ballots as it is the quality of ballots cast that will give the elections its credibility.