Gregory Gaspar is claiming victory over the incumbent President, Patrick Yarde based on unofficial results which show he is in the lead in the acrimonious Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) elections.
Police had to be called in again over Ballot Boxes being locked in the Elections Officer’s Office. Friday also saw the police being called in over ballot boxes after rival factions quarrelled over procedures and discrepancies in the process.
Gaspar and team who have been encamped outside of the union’s building since the election last Thursday, say that they remain vigilant and that they were in the lead at this point.
According to Gaspar, it is unlikely that the numbers will move in his opponent’s direction since he is in the lead by hundreds of votes.
Unofficial results which were posted on the notice board by Elections Officer, Herman DeSouza on Saturday night show that Gaspar is in the lead with 542 votes while Yarde is at 155 votes from seven ballot boxes that were so far counted.
According to Gaspar, they are awaiting the results of statements of poll from 12 other ballot boxes that were already counted by the elections officials. He said that they were told by DeSouza that they will receive those results on Wednesday.
According to some of the unofficial results of statements of poll seen by Stabroek News, Gaspar
led Yarde in Ballot Box 17 – 39/16, Ballot Box 14- 261/7, Ballot Box 12- 44/24, Ballot Box 8-86/43 and Ballot Box 19 -32/15. Ballot Box 16 he lost to Yarde 29/16. According to Gaspar this is how the statements of poll they have seen so far are listed. He also informed that Ballot Box 17 and 14 are from the West Brickdam area and The Palms, GGMC, Lands and Surveys and Ministry of Health area while Ballot box 16 where he lost is at GPSU’s Head office where he claimed that there were irregularities.
Meanwhile, early yesterday morning, the police were called in after Gaspar’s team observed DeSouza placing ballot boxes that were already counted into his office in a room upstairs at the GPSU headquarters.
According to anti-Yarde protestor, Karen Vansluytman, they had objected to the boxes going into the room since other empty ballot boxes and unused ballot papers were there. She said that all members had agreed on letting the boxes remain outside in the hallway for all to see and to keep guard just in case of tampering and ballot box padding.
Gaspar said that after the police were called in, DeSouza was instructed to bring out the ballot boxes and pack them in the hallway.
When Stabroek News contacted Yarde, he said that he is very unhappy with what was taking place during the GPSU elections. He cited obstruction by some of those protesting. Yarde noted that that was also one of the reasons why he has deliberately stayed away from the process after voting, while also stating that it was not the first time that he has done so during an election. Yarde who has been at the helm of the GPSU for 30 years said that he is confident of a victory come Wednesday and what he can report on is the fact that the counting is over. “What I want now is for the Elections Officer to get up the tabulations and to make a formal announcement”, Yarde said.
Meanwhile, Yarde also informed Stabroek News that he will not be marching in Georgetown at the May Day Rally today. When asked where he will be today, Yarde said “I will be in Berbice visiting and marching with other members there”. The GPSU president said that he has promised his Berbice members that he would make a visit and that promise will be fulfilled today.
Yarde said he plans for the rest of his time to be visiting members in outlying areas. “All the members everywhere are important to me”, Yarde told Stabroek News.
The President said that though he may not be in town today for Georgetown’s march, he leaves it in the capable hands of his First Vice President, Mortimer Livan and other members of the GPSU.
