…President says electoral process was compromised
…asserts role of Caricom scrutineers; CEO in preparation of recount, observation reports
…again calls on Guyanese to await declaration by GECOM

PRESIDENT David Granger, while maintaining that he will accept the results of the General and Regional Elections as declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), said from all indication the electoral process was manipulated as he pointed to the countless irregularities that have been unearthed since the recount of the votes commenced a month ago.

“Everyone is aware of numerous reports of irregularities including unstamped ballots, deceased and migrant voters and missing poll books. Those irregularities appear to have been committed intentionally, not accidentally, and demonstrate a pattern of manipulation of the electoral process,” President Granger said in an address to the nation on Saturday.
According to the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), for which the President is the Leader, there have been more than 2,000 numerical irregularities, resulting in more than 90,000 votes being affected. In recent days, 29 ballot boxes from along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) were discovered with no official statutory documents inside – just ballots, for which the lion’s share went to the main Opposition – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). Added to that, the APNU+AFC has been the primary victim of rejected ballots, due to the failure by GECOM’s staff to mark the ballots correctly with the six digit stamp.

While the Elections Commission, chaired by Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, is expected to decide on the 29 ballot boxes today, it is expected to deliberate on the irregularities while considering the reports of the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield upon the completion of the recount of the March 2 votes and the tabulation exercise.

Acceptable outcome
President Granger, while reminding the nation that the National Recount was widely supported by the Government and Opposition, said an acceptable outcome is expected based on four sequential stages. It was outlined that the ‘recount’ of ballots – the first stage – follows the decision of the Elections Commission, on April 3, 2020, that it would recount all ballots cast in the Elections. The national recount commenced on May 6, 2020.
The second stage of the process, the President posited, will see the compilation of a report of the recount by the Chief Elections Officer, and is within that report, that the irregularities, in addition to the tabulated votes, will be detailed.

“The Chief Elections Officer, in the circumstances, is obliged to present a matrix of the poll results of each electoral district together with a summary of the ‘Observation Reports’ of each electoral district to the Election Commission,” President Granger detailed. Given the exceptional interest of the CARICOM Heads of Government and the leading role the CARICOM scrutinizing team, it is the President’s hope that their ‘report’ will be sent to the Election Commission, and receive the fullest consideration.
The ‘review’ of the report by the Elections Commissioners – the third stage of the process – will follow,” the President further detailed, while noting that the Elections Commissioners will be expected to take into consideration all the evidence provided in the CEO’s ‘report’, both from the tabulation and observation, in their deliberations.
It is expected, also, that the Election Commission will examine the CARICOM report at this stage. The ‘result’ of the General and Regional Elections – the fourth and final stage of the process – will be declared by the Chairman of the Elections Commission after she has studied the report of the Chief Elections officer and the Observation Reports, the President summarized.

Iterating a long held position, President Granger said he will accept the results of the elections as declared by GECOM.

“…I shall accept the declaration of the results by the Elections Commission, which will allow for a democratically elected government to be sworn-in to office. I am committed to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law. I respect the integrity and autonomous nature of the Elections Commission. I will abide by the declarations of the Elections Commission as I have abided by the rulings of the Court,” the Head of State told the nation.

With the recount near completion, the President called on Guyanese to await the completion of the four stages – the current recount, the reports of the Chief Elections Officer and the CARICOM observers, the review by the Elections Commission and the declaration of the final results by the Chairman of the Commission.

It was President Granger, who in 2019, met with the Chair of the Elections Commission, the Elections Commissioners and the Leader of the Opposition, and offered a commitment to ensure that the General and Regional Elections would be free and credible.

The date for the elections was proclaimed by President Granger following an indication by the Elections Commission that it would be in a position to effectively conduct the General and Regional Election by the end of February, 2020. Elections were set for March 2.
It has been three months since those elections were March 2, 2020.

“The General and Regional Elections were free and orderly. Subsequent events resulted in the prolongation of the electoral process well beyond the deadline for the declaration of results. That prolongation was occasioned by a delay owing to legal challenges in the Supreme Court of Judicature and the Court of Appeal. The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) approached the Supreme Court on three separate occasions, obstructing the work of the Elections Commission. Those actions and the calls for recounts of ballots allowed for the Supreme Court to determine the way forward,” the President explained.
The Elections Commission made several declarations pursuant to Section 84 (1) of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03 subsequently and almost immediately received requests from political parties for recounts in the 10 electoral districts.
It was President Granger, who on March 15, agreed to a total recount of the ballots from all electoral districts. However, he had emphasized that the recount ought to be done in accordance with the Constitution, the applicable law and the judgment of the Court.
“I had agreed, also, that a High-Level Team from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) would be allowed to function only within the framework of the Constitution and under the aegis of the Commission and the rulings of the Court,” he further reminded. To date, the recount has been in progress for 32 days, and according to President Granger, the diligence and persistence of the Chairman of the Elections Commission ought to be applauded, as he points out that she continues to perform her duties under the Constitution “admirably.”
“She demonstrated her respect for the rulings of the Court and has facilitated CARICOM’s observation role in the recount process in order to assure every one of the credibility of the elections,” President Granger said while urging full support and respect for the Elections Chair.

“I encourage everyone to respect the Chairman of the Elections Commission and the Commissioners and to desist from scurrility, vulgarity and character assassination. The Commission must be allowed to perform its functions in accordance with the Constitution,” he urged.