With the conclusion of the recount process showing victory for the opposition PPP/C, the incumbent APNU+AFC yesterday claimed that there had been massive fraud and said it was putting GECOM “on notice” that illegal votes cannot produce a valid result.
From proclaiming victory and calling for the swearing in of incumbent President David Granger, APNU+AFC has dramatically changed its narrative since the recount started by charging that there has been massive fraud.
Widespread reportage and evidence has shown that District Four’s Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo had tried to fix the result in favour of APNU+AFC by producing false numbers from a spreadsheet. This was however detected and a recount of votes subsequently agreed. After one of its candidates failed in a bid to halt the recount, APNU+AFC immediately began claiming irregularities at the start pf the process on May 6th. It has thus far been unable to substantiate its claims and none of the other contestants at the elections or international observer groups have supported its position.
In a statement yesterday after the close of the recount, APNU+AFC stated: “What was uncovered throughout the recount process and magnified on Thursday June 4th, Friday June 5th, Saturday June 6th and Sunday June 7th nakedly exposed the smoking gun of the obscene People’s Progressive Party illegality on the East Coast of Demerara which is ‘the nest’ in perpetuating fraud on the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.
“Numerous sealed ballots boxes, exclusively in PPP stronghold areas, when opened, were missing all relevant documents legally required to legitimise the process.
“The pattern is clear – where the APNU+AFC won, the documents are in the boxes, but where the PPP “won”, the documents are missing.
“The votes which cannot be validated on the lower Easter Coast Demerara alone, amount to tens of thousands. These votes are bogus, fraudulent and cannot withstand scrutiny.
“There is no option but for GECOM to reject all ballots, in all 10 districts, that cannot be validated:, the incumbent coalition thundered.
GECOM yesterday admitted the votes from 29 East Coast boxes after finding that there were no grounds to disenfranchise voters.
Lobbing accusations which had previously been aimed at it and GECOM officials, APNU+AFC said: “What was uncovered in the ballot boxes from polling places on the lower East Coast Demerara was obscene and provides unequivocal and incontrovertible evidence that massive and systematic electoral fraud was unleashed on March 2nd.
“Not only were the March 2nd elections tainted, but we now know, with certainty, that electoral fraud was committed in an effort to subvert the will of the Guyanese people. The perpetrators have committed a willful, egregious and heinous act against democratic values of Guyana.
“As a result of these revelations and exposures there can only be one legitimate conclusion following the recount process. We now await to hear from the right-thinking people of Guyana and GECOM in that regard”.
APNU+AFC gave no hint as to what it believes the one legitimate conclusion should be
It added: “GECOM is put on notice that it cannot use illegal and fraudulent votes to produce a valid and acceptable result. Fraud cannot produce credibility”.
Earlier in the day, APNU+AFC voiced disappointment at the decision of GECOM to tabulate votes from the 29 boxes.
“GECOM needs to publicly state the rationale behind this inexplicable decision.
“We have taken note that the Secretariat of GECOM is still required to investigate these matters.
“APNU+AFC wishes to make it clear that we do not accept a tabulated vote as a credible vote, since in the bundle of tabulated votes rests several votes which are fraudulent.
“Decisions raised by APNU+AFC are awaited”, it stated.
