– Political parties call for every effort to ensure security
THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is maintaining that the integrity of the contents of the ballot boxes which are stored in metal containers at the GECOM complex at Coldingen, East Coast Demerara, remains intact.
And the major political parties are calling for every effort to be made to keep the ballot boxes and other electoral equipment and materials secure.

At about 14:15 hours on Sunday, the onsite security guards, during a routine check around the containers at Coldingen, found that the padlocks from three of the containers had been prised open. 
A report was lodged with the police and the GECOM officials, and subsequently both police and officials from the commission visited the location and carried out checks on the contents of the containers. 
A statement from GECOM said, “All of the contents were found to be intact…all the ballot boxes were accounted for and the concomitant seals which were placed on them were patently intact.” 
According to the statement, whereas general security is provided at both locations, the containers in which the ballot boxes are stored each carry two heavy-duty padlocks.   
“The contents of the ballot boxes were uncompromised. New padlocks were affixed to the containers and security has since been intensified,” the statement said.
It added that the motive of the person or persons who pried open the locks is unknown at this time, but investigations are ongoing and the breach of the containers is in the hands of the police.
GECOM’s internal security personnel, the statement said, will continue to assist in this undertaking, under the leadership of Henry Chester, GECOM’s Chief Security Officer and former Deputy Commissioner of Police.
The commission maintains that the metal containers in which the ballot boxes and other electoral equipment and materials are stored were returned to GECOM locations between December 1 and 2, 2011, after the general and regional elections. The storage areas are GECOM headquarters at High and Cowan Streets, Kingston, Georgetown, and the Coldingen Complex, East Coast Demerara.  

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic expressed concern over efforts by “certain forces” to interfere with the integrity of the 2011 elections material and vital evidence.
The incumbent party, in a statement Sunday evening, said this could affect a recount or even a forensic audit, which the party is advocating.
However, GECOM, in its statement, said, “The statements of poll in the ballot boxes are ready for any forensic scrutiny/audit which may be necessary.”
The GECOM statement made it clear that the commission is aware that the attempt to access the contents of the containers carries the potential to engender strife among the political parties and the electorate, insofar as the conduct of the elections is concerned, and reiterated that the integrity of the contents of the ballot boxes were not compromised.
The PPP/C is calling on GECOM’s leadership and the law enforcement authorities to move resolutely in apprehending the perpetrators.
In an invited comment yesterday media coordinator, Romel Roopnarine, in declining to comment further, said only that the PPP/C is awaiting the outcome of the investigation. 

Meanwhile, the Alliance for Change (AFC) Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that the party is very concerned about the integrity of the ballot boxes, questioning the absence of armed security guards.
However, he noted that the AFC is not making any “big bones” about the situation, since it has done a reconciliation of the statements of poll and has found little discrepancies in the declaration made by GECOM.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is expected to complete their reconciliation by mid-week.
The coalition had demanded an all-party verification of the SOPs following the declaration of the November 28 elections results on December 1. APNU’s contention that there were too many discrepancies in the electoral process has sparked several protest actions since the declaration of the results.
The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) won 48.6 per cent of the votes, securing 32 seats in the National Assembly; APNU trailed with 40.8 per cent and 26 seats; and the AFC secured 10.3 per cent of the votes, with seven seats, while The United Force (TUF) claimed only 0.2 per cent.