After two days, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has managed to completely recount the ballots cast in 65 of the 2339 polling stations which operated on March 2, 2020.
This dismal number, a mere 3% of the total, has raised significant questions about the possibility of completing the process in the proposed 25 days as the country remains beset by an electoral crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and without a Parliament or budget for 2020.
“I am concerned about the 25-day original plan because if you have 2,200 ballot boxes even if we get 20 or 30 done a day that’s still a 100 or 75 days not 25 days so we have a mathematical problem,” Executive member of A New United Guyana (ANUG) Timothy Jonas told media operatives.
According to Jonas at his workstation “the slowness of the process is because the process is slow, not because of anybody delaying”. He explained that his station was only able to count one ballot box of more than 200 votes during the morning hours.
Jonas’ position was reiterated by coalition member Ganesh Mahipaul who said that the recount process is a “lengthy process which is slow because of necessary reconciliation.”
He stated that it is necessary that the ballots issued to the polling station correspond accurately with “counter foil” as well as the ballots cast, destroyed, spoiled and stamped.
This reconciliation he argued is not a delay but necessary for the transparency and credibility of the process.
Speaking with media operatives following the end of day two, GECOM spokesperson Yolanda Ward said that 40 ballots boxes were counted at the 10 stations over the 10 working hours provided.
Of the 40 boxes completed, nine boxes were from Region One, 10 from Region Two, Nine from Region Three and 12 from Region Four.
Ward described the day’s activities as “very smooth at the various stations”. She noted that since the process began at 8:15 compared to 10:30 on Wednesday the staff which had been rotated had a chance to pick up speed.
She expressed the hope that party agents would arrive early today so that the recount could start on time and possibly lead to the completion of a larger number of boxes.
Ward was however keen to note that there is no average time for the completion of the count of any box as the time varies based on the number of ballots in the box as well as the number of queries raised.
She used as an example a box from District One which contained ballots from 47 voters. That box took nearly two hours to be counted while, according to Jonas a box of more than 200 votes in Region Four took all morning.
Each voter would have cast two ballots, one for General and one for Regional Elections so the count of any one box actually includes two counts plus queries.
Once counted each box would also generate two Statements of Recount (SOR).
Analysis
While both major parties have asked the public to make comparisons between these SORs and the Statements of Polls generated on polling day, Ward stressed that the Commission is not doing a comparative analysis.
“What the box tells us now is what matters,” she maintained.
Notably, Ward also indicated that the Commission had authorized a continuous tabulation of the Statements of Recount generated.
“The Commission has decided that tabulation will occur every day from 5 pm to 6:30 pm,” she explained.
Previously, tabulation was to occur following a completed recount of every box in a particular electoral district.
The Order which governs the recount process prescribed that there be a tabulation of the Statements of Recount generated after the completion of the recount of each box. It further prescribed that upon completion of the input of all Statements of Recount for an entire electoral district, the supervisor for the tabulation shall ascertain and verify the entries therein and calculate totals for each column in the presence of observers and party agents.
Jonas and several other agents argued that the wording of the Order allows for a continuous tabulation and lobbied for this to be allowed. The Commission as the final arbiter met and agreed to the suggestion.
Ward told reporters last night that yesterday’s tabulation number will be presented to the public this morning.
The actual tabulation as provided for in the order was live streamed on GECOM’s website with the Statement of Recount projected on a screen while the information was inputted into a matrix in a process viewed simultaneously.
Ward further explained that an observation report generated for each ballot box was also visible during the broadcast.
The report which includes the queries raised during the recount of a particular box is being transmitted to the Chief Election Officer along with the SOR.
So far according to those who have been present at the counting stations the majority of queries have originated from the incumbent APNU+AFC Coalition.
Coalition agents during the reconciliation process have claimed that individuals marked as having voted are in some cases dead while others have migrated and were not in the country on polling day.
It is unclear how these incidents could have occurred on March 2nd when APNU+AFC agents were present at these polling stations and signed off on Statements of Poll without lodging any serious objections.
Inconsistencies
Even before the recount began the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had claimed that the coalition would use such inconsistencies to derail the recount.
According to the party’s general secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, such matters are better settled via an elections petition.
He accused the incumbent of trying to delay the recount process “inordinately” while attempting to create confusion around not just the recount process but the elections as a whole so that they can call for fresh elections.
During a virtual press conference yesterday he attempted to downplay any inconsistencies in the record of voters within the folios maintained by Presiding Officers (PO) and Party Agents.
“If you have the evidence, provide it later to the court. That is what the law says,” Jagdeo maintained.
PPP/C Executive Anil Nandlall raised similar concerns with the media outside the counting centre as did the party’s presidential candidate Irfaan Ali.
According to Ali, their queries are an attempt to frustrate the system especially since they continue to be raised even after they were addressed on Wednesday.
He also called out the Coalition for claiming that a “secret meeting” had occurred between agents from his party and two GECOM staff members.
This accusation has been dismissed by both the Commission and several other parties who have noted that the PPP/C agents were asking questions in an open room in full view of other agents from various parties.
“We have to guard against this type of mischief. It can rile people up. We need to be responsible,” Ali stressed.
Asked if she felt the queries were delaying the process, Ward said no.
“We are at a recount exercise and people will have queries. It is important that those queries are adequately addressed given the emphasis on transparency and credibility of the process. We want to ensure every agent is satisfied,” she explained.
As part of its efforts to ensure the transparency and credibility of the process, the Commission has invited several observer missions as well as a team of scrutineers from CARICOM to view and report on the process.
The three-member CARICOM team which travelled to the country last week is expected to submit a report to the Commission which may include their observations, recommendations, and conclusions.
According to party agents the team members have been quietly observing and recording.
“They were observing the process. When objections are made I’m noticing they are writing it down but they are not saying anything to hamper the process. They are not disturbing,” Mahipaul explained.
He noted that observers from the Organization of American States and several local observers groups have also been present.
One local group, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) has congratulated GECOM on “a well-organized and efficient process”.
As this second day of the recount comes to a close, I have to say congrats to Gecom.
“I am pleased with the high level of transparency that is being displayed by the Gecom staff. I wish Gecom had not prevented live video streaming which would have greatly improved the transparency and accountability. However as this second day closes I am looking forward to the next 25 days with keen interest and enthusiasm,” PSC Chair Gerry Gouveia said on his Facebook page.
The Carter Center which has been present for each of Guyana’s elections since 1992 remains absent from the recount process as government is still to respond to their request to be allowed into the country.
Yesterday Jagdeo called for the Centre’s lone observer to be given the same consideration as the CARICOM three who were allowed to travel into the country after a negative test for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
