PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali has committed to acting on the recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry (CoI), which found that there was an attempt to rig the 2020 General and Regional Elections by electoral officers and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) party.

The CoI report was presented to President Ali by retired Justice of Appeal, Stanley John, the commission’s chairman, on Wednesday at the Office of the President in Georgetown.

The report revealed that former Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, his deputy, Roxanne Myers, and the District Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, were involved in efforts to derail and corrupt the elections.

In his brief remarks, Justice John stressed the importance of adhering to rules and regulations for public officials, regardless of their political views.

“The report of the Commission of Inquiry would make a strong point that people who hold public office must realise that public office is a sacred office and not a personal office. And whatever the political view in the performance of their public duty, they must adhere to rules and regulations,” he said.

On this point, the President said that those who “sidetrack” these rules had done not only their country harm but also the region.

“We must always contemplate our actions in public office, as those actions in public office are a reflection not only of ourselves but of our country and the people we serve,” the Head of State said.
The President expressed his intention to act on the recommendations made by the COI, which include reforming the structure of GECOM, allowing all eligible voters to exercise their franchise, implementing laws against campaign financing, and prohibiting police officers from showing partisanship in elections.

The commission began hearings on November 3, 2022, and concluded its sittings on February 10, 2023. Some 39 witnesses were summoned or otherwise approached by the commission to provide testimony. The report was completed within two months, even though it had a seven months’ deadline.

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.

After casting their votes on March 2, 2020, Guyanese had to endure a five-month wait for the results of the elections, as they witnessed alleged unlawful acts and a slew of legal challenges.

During this time, the electorate’s patience was tested, as electors observed what were 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 Caribbean leaders and international observers.

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 PPP/C had received 233,336 votes, while the APNU+AFC coalition got 217,920 votes.

During the 2020 Elections, Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Retired Justice Claudette Singh made six attempts to obtain the elections report from Lowenfield. Still, he refused, and this led to a slew of legal challenges.

Based on those revelations, Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo had their employment terminated by the commission.

Lowenfield, Mingo and Myers have also been charged with electoral fraud and are before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

It is alleged that they inflated or facilitated the inflation of results for Region Four, the country’s largest voting district, to give the APNU+AFC Coalition a majority win at the polls when, in fact, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had won by 15,000 votes.

Former People’s National Congress/Reform Chairperson, Volda Lawrence; PNC/R activist, Carol Smith-Joseph, and GECOM employees Sherfern February, Enrique Livan, Denise Bobb-Cummings and Michelle Miller are also before the court for allegedly defrauding the electors of Guyana.

They have all refused to testify before the COI, which was provided with details of how some GECOM employees participated in the suspected plot to divert votes to the APNU +AFC instead of safeguarding the electoral system.