GECOM ‘strongly’ assumes results by noon Tuesday from all regions

The country’s elections chief, Justice (rt’d) Claudette Singh Monday night described the 12 hour period for voting in general and regional elections as a “grand day” as counting got underway at 2,339 polling stations across the country saying it is almost the end to a long journey.

The Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, speaking at a press conference in Georgetown Monday night said he would “strongly” assume that all Returning Officers from the ten regions would make their declarations by noon on Tuesday. If that happens, it would be the soonest elections results are known in recent elections.

“It is the (Election) Commission’s desire to have the declaration in the earliest possible time,” Lowenfield stated, though not committing to a date and time for the declaration of the final results.

Over 600,000 persons were registered to vote in the elections that spurred from the collapse of the APNU+AFC government in the December 21 No Confidence motion.

The results will determine who takes up the seat of Government; the Coalition battled hard to secure a majority in the National Assembly and the PPP had the same ambition.

The elections were held to determine how many seats the contesting parties will occupy in the 65-seat legislature. The party with the largest bloc of votes will form the Government.

The elections also determine the formation of the country’s ten Regional Democratic Councils.

With the close of polls, counting of the ballots are done at the individual polling stations. Once the results are known, a statement detailing those results are posted outside the polling station for all to see.

Those results are then forwarded to a Deputy Returning Officer – the person who is responsible for a set of polling stations in each Region.

The Deputy Returning Officers then take their results to the Returning Officer.

The Returning Officer will verify the tabulation of all the Statements of Polls in his/her Region and then declare those results publicly.

The total of all ten regions will determine the final results.