— letter on PNC district election claims more votes than ballots cast

THE People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) has again found itself at the centre of an elections debacle, this time reportedly called out by its own executive member Annette Ferguson, for not being able to conduct a process that is free, fair and credible.

It is claimed that Ferguson, frustrated over the outcome of the party’s Georgetown District Elections which she contested, wrote to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the PNC/R expressing her concerns over alleged irregularities which were observed during the October 2 polls.

Based on media reports, the PNC executive member, in a letter to the CEC, said that some 211 ballots were cast, but at the end of the electoral process, some 213 votes were recorded with the majority being in favour of Troy Garraway.

She reportedly complained that candidates did not receive important information regarding the number of delegates registered, the amount of ballots printed and how the actual voting would be done.
Ferguson is believed to have implored her party to examine those “irregularities” through a thorough internal probe, and strive to develop a better internal system to manage future elections, since there was a “glaring absence” of checks and balances at the recent district polls.

“The time has come for the PNCR to rise to the occasion of practising fairness, honesty and being democratic when it comes to its internal business or affairs,” a report quoting the PNC/R executive member said.
Calls for the PNC/R to adopt those traits are not new, as the party has been accused on many occasions of rigging the results of national elections, with the latest being the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.
Guyanese, after casting their votes on March 2, 2020, had to endure a five-month wait for the results of the General and Regional Elections, as they witnessed alleged unlawful acts and a slew of legal challenges.

During this time, the patience of the electorate was tested, as electors observed what was described as attempts by the then APNU+AFC administration, which is dominated largely by the PNC/R, to rip the democratic fabric of the nation, with “delay tactics” which were openly criticised by a wide section of society.

It was only after the legal challenges and international interventions that a national recount of all votes cast was convened and the figures showed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) received 233,336 votes, while the APNU+AFC Coalition got 217,920 votes.

Former District Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo; former PNC/R Chairperson, Volda Lawrence; PNC/R activist, Carol Smith-Joseph and four others are currently before the courts for elections-related offences.

Adamant that the illegalities during the recent elections must be exposed, President, Dr Irfaan Ali, had appointed veteran legal luminaries to conduct a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the events that followed the March 2 polls.

Those persons are Justice of Appeal (ret’d) Stanley John, who is also Chairman of the CoI; former Attorney-General, High Court Judge and acting Justice of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean, Senior Counsel Godfrey P. Smith; and former Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Carl Singh.

According to a public notice, the commission’s terms of reference are to enquire into and report on the relevant circumstances and events leading up to and procedures following the General and Regional Elections in Guyana on March 2, 2020.

While the commission will have seven months to complete its inquiry after it commences on November 3, it is set to determine what attempts were made to obstruct, frustrate and prevent the counting and tabulation of votes polled and the public declaration of the results by the Returning Officer for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Clairmont Mingo and other elections officers of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The commission of inquiry is also expected to examine the conduct of the chief elections officer (CEO), other elections officers, and persons as it relates to the execution of the duties of the CEO at the time.
The commissioners are expected to make recommendations as deemed fit and necessary to permit GECOM to discharge its statutory functions as set out in the Representation of the People Act.