COALITION partners of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) are pleased with the ruling of the Appellate Court that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) must use valid votes to determine the elections results.

Speaking with the newspaper on Tuesday, Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Executive, Dr. David Hinds said that he is pleased with the court’s ruling and with the fact that the anomalies, irregularities and voter impersonation coming out of the elections will be given their due importance in keeping with the recount Order crafted by GECOM.

“Once you set yourself that task then GECOM is bound to pay attention to all allegations of tampering and whereas under normal circumstances 20 here, 80 votes here, a hundred votes there, might not have made a difference in the circumstances, they make a big difference because they point to something larger than just miscalculation; they point to the very credibility of the elections,” he said.

Dr. Hinds believes that the court’s ruling is also significant because it settles the question of what is a valid vote. He said that while under normal circumstances, a valid vote would be an unspoiled vote, once the recount Order came into effect and outlined that GECOM would be seeking to reconcile ballots issued with ballots cast, the definition of a valid vote has changed. “The quarrel between the coalition which says that a valid vote must meet the standard that is set by the Order and the PPP which is saying a valid vote is a vote that is in the box no matter how it got there, the ruling by the Court of Appeal settled that argument. It says that a vote counted must be a valid vote and it relied on Order No. 60 in coming to that conclusion,” the WPA Executive stated.

He said that it is his expectation that the remaining stages of the recount process will be completed in keeping with the guidance of the court which should result on the declaration of votes which can be validated. He added that while some are arguing that the GECOM Chair can reject Lowenfield’s report, he does not see provision for such in the Constitution which instead states that the Chair should be guided by the report presented by the CEO.

A LOT OF DISCREPANCIES
Meanwhile, General Secretary of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/C), Amna Ally said that her party, as a coalition member, is also pleased with the ruling of the court. “I think that the Court of Appeal is in its right. I agree with their ruling because there were quite a lot of discrepancies and anomalies in the March, 2 elections and one of the things that the recount set out to do Is to test the credibility of the elections and I believe that the ruling of the court is in keeping with that because we cannot have a result that is not credible,” Ally said.

Furthermore, she noted that while some political parties have chosen to down play or ignore the anomalies, irregularities and voter impersonation coming out of the elections, GECOM had already agreed, according to the recount Order, that the said cases would be taken in to consideration.

Ally added: “The bottom line is that the valid votes must be counted and I’m happy that the court has ruled in that respect so that the CEO can have guidance in preparing his report.” Also weighing in, Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott, representing the National Front Alliance, said that his party, as a coalition partner, is very happy that the court was sought as an avenue to provide a resolution on the matter. “It is our hope that the decision of the Appeal Court will be accepted as final,” he said, noting that, moving forward, he hopes that the country’s political parties will pursue Constitutional reform as promised for the betterment of Guyana.