–Singh tells COI about GECOM-led misconduct at 2020 polls

SASENARINE Singh, a qualified accountant, has shed light on the scheme by staff of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to inflate votes for APNU+AFC by introducing a spreadsheet into the tabulation process during the 2020 Regional and General Elections.

On Thursday, Singh appeared before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the elections of 2020, where he testified about the many discrepancies he witnessed during the period being examined.

Singh, who was a supernumerary agent for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) at the time, told the Commission about the use of a spreadsheet during the tabulation and verification process at GECOM’s District Four command centre at the Ashmin’s Building in Georgetown.

Singh said that the verification process is usually done by comparing copies of Statements of Poll (SOPs) in GECOM’s possession with those in the possession of party agents.
He recalled that GECOM aborted that process and opted to use a spreadsheet. This unorthodox process, manned by GECOM’s Enrique Livan, attracted much protest, but he continued.
Singh testified that when the process began with the use of the spreadsheet, the numbers were “definitely not” matching up. In fact, he said that of the first 21 SOPs he had in his possession from the East Bank of Demerara, 17 of them were materially different from the numbers recorded on the spreadsheet.

Singh testified that every party suffered losses except the APNU+AFC. He further told the Commission that the party that had the biggest casualty was the PPP/C.
“They were deflating everybody’s number except the APNU+AFC, and the APNU +AFC numbers were being inflated,” Singh said.

He related that after this was discovered, there was an uproar, which caused Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield to eventually intervene.
An agreement was then reached for GECOM agents to revert to the original process of comparing the GECOM SOPs to those in the possession of stakeholders.

Singh testified that Livan then started working the “right process”, but after doing only four SOPs, he said he was tired. He then shut down, cleared his workspace of documents, including SOPs, and left the tabulation room, laptop in hand.

Singh said that after Lowenfield instructed Livan to return, he clicked on a file labelled South Georgetown, and again the numbers were different.
He added that the move was quite obvious, as, in some cases, the two votes recorded for the smaller parties on verified SOPs were reduced to one on GECOM’s spreadsheet.
Singh said that GECOM’s Keith Lowenfield was in the room when the inaccuracies were being highlighted.

According to Singh, Lowenfield said: “This thing has to be investigated administratively,” before calling off the process until 9:00am the next day.
However, the next day, Lowenfield said nothing about his investigation, and, according to Singh, instead, District Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo tried to make a declaration of the results for the district.

Singh said that this was despite the fact that tabulation and verification for sub- district East Coast of Demerara had not commenced; South Georgetown was incomplete, and so was the East Bank of Demerara.

Yet, Mingo tried to make a declaration. However, he was not allowed to do so, given the loud protest of party agents, as well as local and foreign observers.