General recount for Reg. 5 and 6 today at request of APNU+AFC

A general recount of votes cast in Regions 5 and 6 will get underway today following requests made by the APNU+AFC coalition.

The recount in Region 5 commenced just after 10:00hrs and just minutes before the 11’ o clock hour, they were still on the first ballot box.

The New Room spoke to the Returning Officer for that Region, Laikharam Pancham who said he will have to go through a total of 158 ballot boxes in order to complete the process.

He could not say how long the process will take since it will be determined by the pace of those involved and the number of objections made.

The recount is being done at the RO’s office at Fort Wellington Registration Office, West Coast Berbice.

Currently observing the recount process are agents of the two major political parties, the APNU+AFC coalition and the People’s Progressive Party along with observers from the European Union mission.

Meanwhile, a general recount of votes in Region 6 is also underway at the BK Building, Public Road, Adventure Village, Corentyne Berbice.

The RO for that Region, Savitri Mangar said already the agents from the political parties along with local and international observers have been invited to attend that recount.

The general recount means a total of 378 ballot boxes will have to be reopened to complete this process.

Guyana voted in the general and regional elections on Monday, March 2, 2020, with an official declaration of the winner still to be made by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

There is also contention in Region 4, the largest voting bloc in Guyana.

The People’s Progressive Party has said that they have been unable to serve their request for a recount to the Region 4 RO.

The timing for that request expires at noon on Friday.