-no word from gov’t task force on increasing work stations
After 10 days of counting the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has processed 479 of 2,339 ballot boxes, 58 of which were recounted yesterday but it is still awaiting word from the COVID-19 task force on increasing the number of workstations to meet its deadline.
The Commission has also tabulated the General Statement of Recount from 462 of those boxes and the Regional Statements of Recount from 464.
The 58 boxes recounted yesterday included one box from Region One, 13 from Region Two, 17 from Region Three, 15 from Region Four and 12 from Region Five.
GECOM was able to complete the count of Region One after the contents of a flooded box had dried enough to be visible for a count.
Despite the number of boxes recounted growing steadily, the process has still not achieved the pace necessary for the completion of the count in the 25 days which the gazetted order recommends. The 479 boxes represent 20.4% of the total.
Consequently, the Commission continues to look for ways to increase the efficiency of the process and spent most of the day yesterday awaiting communication from the National COVID-19 Task Force about whether six new work stations could be added to the 10 currently operating.
A health team from the taskforce visited the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Thursday in the company of members of the Commission and had promised a report including recommendations for compliance
Opposition-nominated Commission Sase Gunraj said that at the end of the work day this report had not been received.
“The Chairman’s office has not received any documentation from the COVID-19 Task Force and as a consequence there was no necessity to meet,” he told journalists, adding that the Commission is being hamstrung by an external entity.
“We have committed to act pursuant to that [report]. I’m convinced that our progress in this exercise is stymied by a taskforce extraneous to us when the constitution says we are not to be fettered. As we speak we have at least one facility that has been set up that can be populated. We could’ve started but we are hamstrung,” he lamented.
Tabulated
Notably while all the political parties have said that SORs generated in Region 1 match the Statements of Poll created on March 2, the tabulated numbers broadcast by GECOM do not match those declared by Returning Officer Trevor Harris.
According to the recount the APNU+AFC coalition earned 3,909 votes, the Liberty and Justice Party has earned 170 votes, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has earned 8,002, the People’s Republic Party 24 votes and the United Republican Party (URP) six votes.
In total the recount has recorded 12,111 valid votes, 325 rejected votes and 12,436 total votes.
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, for a total of 12, 461 votes.
The PPP/C appears to have “lost” 20 votes during the recount. It is not clear where these ballots are accounted for because the RO’s numbers show a difference of 25 votes cast in the Region.
Specifically the RO’s declaration shows 12,128 valid votes compared to 12,111 from the recount, a difference 17. His numbers have also recorded more rejected votes than the recount 333 to 325.
The difference was not accounted for in the spoilt ballots either as the RO recorded 57 spoilt ballots, 16 more than the 41 recorded at the recount.
In total the general election recount accounted for 12,477 ballot papers while the Returning Officer’s declaration accounted for 12,518.
Asked to comment on this discrepancy GECOM spokesperson Yolanda Ward explained that in a recount things are likely to change.
“Rejected votes become valid. Valid votes becomes spoilt or rejected. I don’t know the specifics for Region 1,” she said.
At the regional level the recount recorded 3,843 votes for the APNU+AFC, 144 for the LJP, 7,996 for the PPP/C and 77 for URP. A total of 12,060 valid votes were recorded as was 380 rejected votes. Total voters was recorded as 12,440.
This is similar to the declaration made by the RO who recorded 3,839 votes for the coalition, 145 votes for LJP, 7,996 for the PPP/C, and 77 for the URP.
