Day nine of the National Recount ended yesterday with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) having completed the processing of 54 ballot boxes bringing the total number counted to 421 of 2,339.
Included in this number are five boxes from Region One, 11 from Region Two, 17 from Region Three, 14 from Region Four and seven from Region 5.
Speaking with media around 4 pm, GECOM public relations officer, Yolanda Ward indicated that two stations had begun processing boxes from Region Five following their completion of 98 boxes from Region 1. That electoral district had generated 99 boxes one of which had been inundated with water.
On day one of the recount it was discovered that the container housing boxes from Region 1 had a hole directly above the box from Kariako Primary School in Moruca. A decision was taken to drain the box and sit it in the sun with the hope that the contents could be retrieved but yesterday when the box was opened those contents were a soppy mess.
Once again a decision was taken to “place it at a secure spot for those contents to be dried.”
According to opposition-nominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj he does not consider the condition of the box “a significant issue” since a Statement of Poll (SOP) exists for the station.
“We can resort to the statement of poll,” he said explaining that he is comfortable with such an arrangement because the SOP in each of the other 98 cases correlate with the Statements of Recount generated over the last nine days.
Gunraj noted that his suggestion was met with “slight opposition” and argued that it would not set a precedent for the use of SOPs in the recount process.
“I don’t see any issue with using the SOP,” he maintained, arguing that even if a precedent is set it would not be a precedent that would be “harmful to the process”.
Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander however stated that though Gunraj’s suggestion was a practical approach it runs in the face of the objective of the exercise.
“You can’t be having a recount and then resort to the old count as the basis of determining that you have recounted. There is a contradiction there,” he said.
He has suggested a by-election. Guyana’s laws however do not provide for a by election at the General and Regional Elections.
Notably the SORs tabulated for those 98 boxes in the General Elections show that in Region 1 the APNU+AFC coalition earned 3,904 votes, the Liberty and Justice Party has earned 166 votes, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has earned 7,914, the People’s Republic Party 23 votes and the United Republican Party (URP) eight votes.
In total the recount has recorded 12,016 valid votes, 324 rejected votes and 12,340 total votes. It is not clear exactly how many ballots are in the compromised box but a comparison of these numbers with those declared on March 4 by the Returning Officer suggest that 121 ballots were cast at the polling station which had 174 registered voters.
According to the RO’s numbers the coalition secured 3,905 votes, LJP 170 votes, the PPP/C 8,022, PRP 23 and URP 8.
It is clear therefore that the opposition PPP/C has once again ‘won’ the Region. The two larger parties have however each secured one of the two geographical seats allocated to that Region.
The Commission however will not be making Regional Declarations. The recount order specifies that the matrices for the recount of the 10 Electoral Districts shall be tabulated by the Chief Election Officer and shall be submitted in a report, together with a summary of the observation reports for each District, to the Commission.
“The Commission shall, after deliberating on the report, determine whether it should request the Chief Election Officer to use the data compiled…as the basis for the submission of a report under section 96 of the Representation of the People Act Cap 1:03,” it further notes.
As the Commission moves forward with the process it will today make a final decision on the increase of workstations.
Gunraj explained that the members of the Commission have for the most part reached a consensus that six more workstations can be accommodated at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
The final decision will however not be made until a health team from the National COVID-19 Taskforce (NCTF) submits its recommendation.
The team which includes a virologist, yesterday conducted a tour of the facility in the company of the Commission and while no initial feedback was received they have promised to submit a report to the GECOM Chair by this morning.
Alexander further explained that following the NCTF’s recommendation the Commission will consider security advice and the availability of relevant equipment.
A decision has also been taken to remove from the ballot box checklist the last three items which means the stations will no longer examine boxes for the six digit stamp, presiding officer seal and used ballot seals.
