By the end of today, the world is expected to finally have a clear indication on the next step in Guyana’s protracted 2020 General and Regional Elections (GRE) when the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) publicizes the timeline and other logistical arrangements for the holding of the national recount.
Pressure continues to mount on GECOM to swiftly conclude the elections with a fair and transparent result. (See other stories on pages 10 and 11.)
“All of the decisions you expected to hear from us this afternoon will be communicated to us by the Chairperson via an email tomorrow,” Opposition-nominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj told reporters after a brief meeting yesterday.
He explained that Chairperson, retired justice Claudette Singh has heard all of the submissions made by both sides of the table and has been guided by suggestions and advice from Commonwealth Senior Technical Adviser, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan who was present at the meeting.
The issues about which Singh is expected to communicate include the number of counting stations. The Chair will have to consider proposals from the Chief Election Officer who has suggested five stations, the opposition-nominated commissioners who have floated 20 stations and Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander who has recommended eight stations.
Each of these propositions along with the proposed time for each ballot box has a significant impact on the duration of the count.
Alexander explained that using the eight stations he has suggested and two hours per box the recount would take 64 days. If the time per box is reduced to one and a half hour the duration will decrease to 48 days and finally 32 days if the allocated time per box was one hour.
He accused Opposition-nominated Commissioner Robeson Benn of attempting a “sleight of hand” since Benn could not explain how his proposal could result in a concluded process within 10 days.
Benn along with Gunraj and Bibi Shadick had presented a joint proposal to have the process completed using 20 stations for 10 hours per day over a period of 10 days. While this proposal allocated two hours to each box, Alexander claimed that Benn revealed that 30 minutes per box was the actual allocation.
“It is ridiculous to suggest 30 minutes,” Alexander maintained while accusing the other Commissioners of trying to limit the process to a mere numerical recount which would exclude the various verifications usually employed during the counting process.
These verifications include a reconciliation of all materials used, that is, making sure that the number of ballot papers issued to a place of poll corresponds with those used during voting.
Those verifications were however done perfectly on polling day in the presence of party agents and observers have said that there is no need to revisit them.
Additionally according to Gunraj, the secretary general of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Irwin LaRocque has submitted a proposal to have the counting streamed for those observers who may not be present in Guyana.
Alexander stressed that the suggestion was limited to the CARICOM High level team.
He explained that Secretary General LaRoque has raised concerns about the proposed use of 20 stations in light of the COVID19 pandemic and the need to maintain social distancing protocols.
The suggestion has been made that CARICOM can have as few as three persons physically present while the count is streamed to those who cannot travel to Guyana.
According to Alexander this concern is similar to one that he has raised since using 20 stations would have as many as 300 persons present at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC).
Singh is also expected to communicate with the COVID-19 task force to seek clearance to have the activity conducted.
