In the face of mounting regional and international pressure to concede, the APNU+AFC coalition yesterday voiced its support for the report submitted by Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield that claims it won the March 2 polls after he discarded over 115,000 votes.
Some supporters of the David Granger-led incumbent coalition also took their case to the city’s streets, despite COVID-19 restrictions as they maintained that only “valid” votes cast at the polls should be counted to determine the winner.
With an official declaration still to be made despite the recent conclusion of a national recount, the coalition in a statement yesterday endorsed Lowenfield’s much criticised report, while mirroring his claim yesterday that he acted lawfully.
The recount’s results, which have been certified by GECOM’s Secretariat, show 460,295 votes cast on March 2. They show that the PPP/C’s list of candidates has secured 233,336 votes compared to the 217,920 garnered by the incumbent APNU+AFC coalition. Under that count, the PPP/C has won the elections by 15,416 votes. Lowenfield, however, has since presented two sets of his own numbers to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The first set submitted as part of summary of the observation reports generated during the recount showed a total of 185,260 votes that he has determined were unaffected by alleged irregularities. Of the number of votes deemed valid by Lowenfield in that report, the majority was purportedly cast in favour of the incumbent as the alternative count grants the coalition 125,010 votes and the PPP/C 56,628.
His most recent report shows a total of 344,508 “valid and credible” votes. It, too, shows an APNU+AFC victory as it reports a total of 171,825 votes cast for the APNU+AFC compared to 166,343 for the PPP/C and 3,348 for a joinder list of new parties. As a result, with an electoral quota of 5,300, the coalition would be awarded 33 seats, the PPP/C 31 seats, and the joint list would get one seat. It is unclear on what basis he determined what were the “valid and credible” votes.
While many observers and other stakeholders have condemned the report submitted by Lowenfield, the coalition yesterday argued that the CEO acted in keeping with the law when he discarded more than 115,000 votes.
It argued that Monday’s ruling by the Court of Appeal determined that a final credible count as contemplated by the national recount order does not mean a mere numerical tabulation of votes but an assessment of the credibility of votes as contemplated by the Order.
It further contended that the recount order sets out the modus operandi for the validation of votes in the recount exercise and that specifically all ballots issued should be reconciled “with the ballots cast, destroyed, spoiled, stamped and as deemed necessary, their counterfoils/stubs, authenticity of the ballots and the number of the voters listed and crossed out as having voted; the number utilized, statistical anomalies, occurrences recorded in the Poll Book.”
The final contention is that Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act requires CEO to ascertain the valid votes cast in an election.
As a result, it argued that the CEO lawfully prepared and submitted his election report on Tuesday.
“The CEO, clearly, is empowered and instructed by the Constitution and Laws of Guyana, not by any other entity or person. He has discharged his functions within the ambit of the law,” it added.
Meanwhile, coalition member and attorney James Bond, in a series of live videos from atop a party truck, showed the distribution of flyers within the political party’s stronghold of Sophia.
In an attempt at canvassing support, the procession travelled to several areas in the city and contended that APNU+AFC had won the polls.
As the party’s unofficial victory song, ‘Leh the blow blow blow’ played in the background, Bond declared “Fraud is fraud.”
“Only valid votes. The PPP/C frighten the phrase. They frighten valid votes,” he also announced yesterday repeatedly adding “we not giving up.”
While he distributed “Lowenfield report” pamphlets, he criticised the western missions and other international observers who have condemned the actions of Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo and endorsed the results of the national recount.
“I want know if they blind. They ain’t see fraud in Region One or Two…they only see it in Region Four?” he demanded.
Mingo had been accused of declaring fictional results, an accusation which has been supported by the results of the recount.
