Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield has once again failed to submit the report requested by the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Yesterday’s meeting of the Commission scheduled for 2 pm was “discontinued” after another Court action was filed; this time to compel the Commission to declare results based on the March 13 declarations.
GECOM Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward confirmed that a meeting was convened and the commissioners were advised that a motion was filed in Court.
“The [government-nominated] commissioners indicated that they had not seen the document and as customary at the Commission requested time to look at the document,” she explained.
Speaking with reporters outside the Commission’s High Street headquarters, government-nominated commissioners Vincent Alexander and Charles Corbin said that after being informed that a matter had been filed they reminded the Chair that she has established a practice of holding substantive matters in abeyance until a determination of the matter.
The Commissioners explained that for the duration of their presence at the meeting the only matter discussed was whether or not there should be a meeting.
“As far as I’m concerned a meeting was never properly convened,” Alexander explained.
Opposition-nominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj acknowledged that Commissioners had been informed of the matter filed but stressed that there was no Order granted which would prevent the CEO from the submitting the requested report or prevent the commission from receiving and considering the report.
He explained that an attempt was made to discuss substantive matters but the government-nominated commissioners and the CEO refused.
“An attempt was made from my side to ask the CEO whether or not he had completed report but someone on the other side told him that he doesn’t have to answer,” Gunraj explained while lamenting that the CEO was now being told that he does not have to answer to the Commission.
Almost immediately after this exchange, according to Gunraj, the three government commissioners walked out the meeting closely followed by Lowenfield.
Lowenfield had been asked for the fourth time to submit a report of the recount results so that a winner of the March 2 polls could finally be declared.
He had refused thrice before to submit this report and most recently, July 10, submitted a report showing a win for the APNU+AFC Coalition.
This report included the discredited declarations of District Four returning officer Clairmont Mingo and prompted GECOM Chair Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh to “set aside” the declarations of March 13.
Asked whether it is necessary for the Chair to gazette her decision to set aside these declarations, Gunraj was adamant that no such action is required.
“It is a decision of the Commission,” he stressed.
