– witnesses identified; hearings begin tomorrow

THE Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the events surrounding the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections, opens today at its Middle Street, Georgetown place of operation.

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 will commence hearings tomorrow with witnesses already lined up to take the stand.

The Commissioners will have seven months to complete their work in keeping with the Terms of Reference, which have been published in the Official Gazette.

According to the Terms of Reference, the commissioners will have to probe the relevant circumstances and events leading up to the elections and the procedures which were followed thereafter.

The Commissioners will also have to inquire into the counting, ascertainment and tabulation of votes polled and the public declaration of those results by the former Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo and other elected officers.

Also, the Commission will probe the attempts to “obstruct, frustrate, subvert and prevent a decision of the Guyana Elections Commission made on the 14th day of March 2020, to conduct a national recount of the votes polled…”.

The Commissioners are also tasked with investigating the conduct of ex-Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield and other elections officers with respect to the discharge and execution of their statutory duties during the elections.

According to the Terms of Reference, the Commissioners will make recommendations as deemed fit and necessary to permit GECOM to discharge its statutory functions as prescribed by the Representation of the People Act.

Upon completion of the CoI, the Commission will present “its report, findings and recommendations” to the President, in writing, within seven months.

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 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 intervention 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.

Mingo, along with the People’s National Congress/Reform’s members, Volda Lawrence and Carol Smith-Joseph, and four others are currently before the courts for electoral fraud.