…refutes PPP’s claims that its agent was ejected from flight

WHILE responding to claims by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) that its party agent was left behind, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) said a decision was taken in which no party agent, including the PPP’s, would be on a flight to Upper Mazaruni to observe Friday’s vote by the Disciplined Services.

The decision was taken after the pilot of the aircraft notified the team of officials from GECOM that all the scheduled passengers would not be able to make the flight since the weight was already above the 600lbs payload.

GECOM explained that the passengers who were scheduled to be on the flight included the GECOM Balloting Officers, Commissioner Vincent Alexander, a police officer and three agents representing the APNU+AFC, PPP/C and URP respectively. “The pilot advised that two persons would not be able go on the flight. As such, it was decided that rather than taking one agent and leaving two, no agent was on the flight,” GECOM said.
Noting that it was appalled by the claims made in reports that the PPP’s agent was ejected from the flight, GECOM said Chief Election Officer, Keith Lowenfield, held a meeting with the elections agents of all political parties on February 15, 2020 to provide details pertaining to the operational activities for the conduct of Discipline Services balloting and polling day for General and Regional Elections.

Subsequent to the meeting, the CEO provided a detailed movement plan, the payload for each aircraft and the number of persons that can be accommodated. On arrival at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle on Friday, February 21, 2020, the pilot advised that all the scheduled passengers could not go on the flight. It was here that the decision was made regarding who should go and who should remain.

“This is a regrettable situation. However, in the interest of ensuring safety and that the statutory activity of Discipline Services balloting proceeded as planned, the best decision was taken in this regard. The Guyana Elections Commission wishes to assure that the process was observed by international observers on the ground which lends itself to a level of transparency,” GECOM said.

Presidential Candidate of the PPP/C, Irfaan Ali, while observing the elections on Friday at the Brickdam Police Station, noted that though the elections were progressing smoothly, the PPP/C was dissatisfied that one of its polling agents, who was assigned to the Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven, was left behind.

“Things here seem to be going smoothly. However, we have one challenge that is reported to the party. One of our polling agents was supposed to join the flight at Ogle with the GECOM team to go into Upper Mazaruni. When she turned up to join the team to go on that flight, she was told that there was no space on the flight for her,” the PPP/C presidential candidate explained.

According to him, the PPP/C was deeply concerned that voting took place in the Upper Mazaruni in the absence of its polling agent. He said GECOM failed to make the necessary accommodation for the PPP/C polling agent. The main opposition political party said it wrote GECOM on the matter.