VOTES cast by over 7,000 ranks of the Disciplined Services on Saturday are being sorted, according to Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, who added that the process started yesterday.The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) official, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, also responded to concerns raised by General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee yesterday at a news conference at Freedom House.

Rohee noted that a list of concerns is being documented to be sent to GECOM. “Our election agent is preparing an extensive report to be sent to GECOM,” he said.
Among the concerns he cited are: changes in the place of poll on polling day itself, a contention Lowenfield disagreed with and made clear that the list of all the polling stations that were used on Saturday were widely publicised.
Rohee also charged ballot boxes and materials arrived late at a few polling stations, another contention shot down by the Chief Elections Officer.
“All our staffers were deployed from GECOM, from one location, they collected the ballot boxes and materials and left with the various agents,” he said.
The PPP General Secretary yesterday highlighted that the PPP’s agents were not provided with a ballot account, which detailed the numbers of voters registered to vote and how many did vote, among other details.
Lowenfield said, “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.”
The Chief Elections Officer noted that he welcomes the documentation of the PPP’s concerns.
PREPARED FOR MAY 11
Lowenfield added, “We are working assiduously to ensure that everything is in order on May 11.”
Additionally, GECOM’s Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, acknowledged the existence of a few minor challenges during Saturday’s voting exercise. “There were some deficiencies that we noticed,” he said, adding that all efforts are being made to ensure that the proceedings on May 11 are rolled out without similar glitches.
“On the question of May 11, we are on schedule. In some instances we are ahead of schedule. The ballot boxes are already packed,” he said.

On the question of Election Day preparations, the PPP General Secretary has called on GECOM to ensure that all the necessary mechanisms are in place to guard against multiple voting, unauthorised use of proxy voting, others voting for others, storming of polling stations, stuffing of ballot boxes and other fraudulent practices on voting day.
“It is clear that as Elections Day draws nearer and nearer and the prospects of another PPP/C victory looms larger and larger in the elections horizon, desperation seems to get the better of the APNU+AFC (A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change),” Rohee charged.
In addition to the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and APNU+AFC, six other political parties will be contesting the May 11 General and Regional Elections.

By Vanessa Narine