Citing a series of allegations, the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) has written GECOM Chair Claudette Singh calling for the immediate dismissal of Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield.
LJP is one of the parties that contested the March 2nd elections and based on the recount results will hold one seat in Parliament in association with two other parties.
The letter to the GECOM Chair by LJP Leader Lenox Shuman follows:
Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh
Chairwoman of GECOM
41 High and Cowan Streets
Georgetown
Guyana
Dear Madam Singh
Re: Relieving Chief Elections Officer Mr Keith Lowenfield of office
The Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) hopes that you are well and in good health and wishes to commend you for your circumspect approach to the legal manoeuvres that have overtaken the elections process.
In relation to the above subject matter, the Liberty and Justice Party is hereby requesting the immediate dismissal of Mr Lowenfield from the post of Chief Elections Officer.
Over the last four(4) months, Mr Lowenfield has conducted himself in a manner that does not command the confidence of the public and continues to demonstrate no degree of respect for the electorate, the Guyanese people nor the structures and institutions that were meant to protect and safeguard the will of the people.
The LJP lists herein, the various acts of/by Mr Lowenfield that have contributed to the complete and absolute loss of confidence in him (Mr Lowenfield):
1. Gross negligence with regards to the safeguarding of elections documents
2. Failing to provide clear written instructions to the Presiding Officers on Polling day with regards to safeguarding documents and which documents to seal within the poll boxes
3. Deliberately declining to disclose the statement of polls (SOP’s) to the Commission, the Parties, the Court and the Public
4. Knowingly and recklessly providing an elections report on 5 March 2020 based on and containing false, inaccurate and fraudulent information declared by Mr Clairmont Mingo
5. Lack of Impartiality and demonstrating an APNU bias
6. Attempting to invalidate votes AFTER the SOR’s and Official Certificates of Tabulation for the 10 Administrative Regions have been issued
7. Wilfully attempting to disenfranchise 115 000+ voters by wanting to invalidate said number of votes (this represents approximately 25% of the entire Guyanese electorate amounting to more votes than have ever been invalidated in the collective 54 years history of Guyana)
8. Exercising authority that is not vested in him and beyond his remit in interpreting the Appeal’s Court Ruling and acting contrary to said court orders
9. Providing a report of the 2 March 2020 Elections recount contrary to the directions of the Commission
10. Gross insubordination and acting contrary to the directions of the Chairwoman and the Commission
11. Obstructing officers of the court from service and their duties i.e. evading lawful service of court documents and complete disregard for same
12. He is currently the subject of three (3) separate criminal charges in the High Court relating to Electoral Fraud.
Madam Chair, the above are all matters of public records and are widely known by all Political Parties, the international community and the Guyanese people. The office of the CEO is one that must command the confidence of not only Guyanese and Guyana, but also that of the global community that we live in. The office of the CEO is the anchor to the vanguard of democratic institutions. That the Chief Elections Officer clearly demonstrates a bias, we are resolute in our view that the CEO, Mr Keith Lowenfield, has completely and absolutely lost the confidence of the Guyanese electorate, and we believe the above as laid out provide undisputable grounds for Mr Lowenfield’s immediate removal/termination from his post as CEO and for his expeditious replacement with a candidate more amicable to the terms and operations of law abiding statutory officers in democratic institutions.
To close, we respectfully ask that the commission revisit the actions that have drawn these elections to this point and Article 162(b) of the Constitution of Guyana and act in accordance with the will of the people that have been reaffirmed through the recount process of the 2 March 2020 Elections.
We thank the commission for its time and we look forward to the long overdue close of the electoral process.
Most Sincerely
Lenox Shuman
Leader – LJP
