CHAIRMAN of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr Steve Surujbally, along with the body’s commissioners will meet with representatives of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) today to address among other matters, concerns over the process employed on Saturday when ranks of the Disciplined Services voted.At a news conference held yesterday at Freedom House, the party’s General Secretary, Clement Rohee detailed as many as eight procedural glitches that constituted deviations from and violations of outlined electoral processes.
“These occurrences have been documented and sent to GECOM with a view of having them corrected, so as to ensure that the May 11 election is completed in a manner in which all stakeholders can be comfortable and confident with the results,” he said.
BOXES UNACCOMPANIED
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary noted too that the ballot boxes, in some instances, were transported to the polling stations unaccompanied by party agents.
He said, “Some PPP/C Ballot Agents were prevented from travelling in the vehicle provided by GECOM to transport the ballot boxes, while the APNU+AFC (A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change) agents were allowed; it must be noted that this was done although there were vacant seats in the vehicle. With the intervention by GECOM’s CEO, for example at Camp Stevenson, our agents were finally allowed to travel in the vehicle. Several other PPP/C agents were not allowed and had to travel in vehicles provided by the PPP behind GECOM’s vehicle.”
According to him, this occurrence must be questioned.
“What were the instructions given to the Ballot Attendants and by whom? Why is it only the PPP/C agents [who] were prevented from travelling in the vehicle with the box? Why were APNU/AFC agents not excluded?” Rohee charged.

Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, was asked earlier this week about the deployment of staffers, agents and ballot materials and said, “All our staffers were deployed from GECOM, from one location. They collected the ballot boxes and materials and left with the various agents.”
NOT SEALED
At the close of polls, Rohee noted that some PPP/C Ballot Agents were prevented from placing the party’s seal on the ballot boxes – a problem that was noted in the 2011 General and Regional elections.
“Identical to 2011, some of the Ballot Agents representing the PPP/C were prevented from placing the party’s seal on the ballot box at the close of poll. GECOM did nothing then, save to make a commitment not to allow a re-occurrence of the said situation. This occurred, however, at Leonora Ballot Station and the Coast Guard Ballot Station among others,” he said.
The PPP General Secretary charged that the ruling party has been again made a “victim of GECOM’s inability to enforce the law,” as well as its recently publicised operational procedures.
REMOVAL OF BALLOTS
THE removal of ballot papers from a polling station, by a Ballot Officer, was also a major infraction highlighted.
“The Ballot Officer for [the] GPF at the Police Sports Club, Eve Leary, Ms. Lewi, took the Ballot Paper out of the Ballot Station to a vehicle to allow an elector to mark the ballot paper which was subsequently placed in the ballot box,” he said.
Rohee stated that the Ballot Attendant was Sue-Ann Nurse.
“This is a serious breach of the GECOM’s established voting procedures and strong action should be taken against this officer,” he said.
INTIMIDATION
A case that was interpreted by the PPP General Secretary as intimidation was also highlighted at yesterday’s news conference.
“It was observed that in several Ballot Stations in Region 4, the police officer who accompanied the GECOM team was seated in the Polling Station and operated and functioned as a GECOM staff member rather than as a police officer assigned to the Ballot Station,” he said.
Rohee made it clear that in addition to being a breach of GECOM’s operational procedures, this incident was “perceived as being intimidating to others,” especially some of those who were voting.
BALLOT ACCOUNTS
He added that 25 per cent of PPP/C Ballot Agents were not provided with the ballot account by GECOM’s staff at the end of the balloting process on May 2.
“This record of the ballot envelopes received, Used and Unused is an important part of elections management, the absence of which inhibits objective assessment and subsequent validation of the elections,” he said.
Lowenfield, in an earlier interview, disclosed that all Ballot Agents received the ballot accounts
“All the ballot boxes arrived at GECOM before midnight on Saturday. The ballot accounts were provided to the agents before 5:00pm yesterday [Sunday] afternoon,” he said.
OTHER CONCERNS
Other concerns raised by the PPP General Secretary included the late opening of some polling stations, the poor quality of election day materials, including the ballot pencils, and the length of time multiple APNU+AFC representatives spent at one polling station.
“In 2011 the PPP/C had documented several concerns to GECOM identical to these issues and assurances were given by GECOM that these issues will be addressed. It is unfortunate that these occurred once again…there were several similar instances at other Ballot Stations revealing that GECOM failed to enforce the law,” Rohee charged.

By Vanessa Narine