PPP wants recount done in 10 days starting with Reg. 4

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) wants the national recount of votes cast on March 2 to be done in ten days starting with the disputed ballots from Guyana’s largest voting district, Region Four.

The Opposition also wants the process to be live-streamed to “ensure maximum transparency and respond to COVID-19 guidelines.”

General Secretary of the PPP Bharrat Jagdeo at his weekly press conference said this proposal was made by PPP nominated Commissioners to GECOM on Thursday.

The Commission is still meeting to discuss the proposals and the Commissioners have not emerged from the GECOM Kingston, Georgetown Headquarters since 9am.

In the proposal seen by the News Room, the PPP commissioners proposed 20 work stations with one hour to count one ballot box. The daily work hours stipulated is 12 hours from 09:00hrs to 21:00hrs.

Jagdeo said the recount can be completed in ten days, noting that the 156 days proposed by the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield is meant to “delay the announcement of the legitimate credible results of the elections.”

He referred to provisions in the laws for the electoral process to be completed in 15 days.

The PPP has reverted to its call for the recount to begin in Region Four “since the tabulation of the Region Four results is the basis of the controversy which erupted and the reason for the recount.”

“At the completion of the count for Electoral District 4, the count shall resume with Electoral District 1 and will proceed in numerical order,” the PPP proposed.

The PPP is in agreement with the Arthur Chung Convention Centre to be retained for the recount where representatives of all contesting parties will be invited to be present.

The process will be supervised by the GECOM Secretariat in accordance with the laws of Guyana, but the party wants it to be observed by the Audit Office of Guyana or a duly accredited audit firm along with international and domestic observers within the guidelines of COVID-19 prevention.

GECOM it said will be the “final arbiter of valid votes, rejected ballot and questioned ballot.”

It proposed that the Chief Elections Officer produce a copy of the Statements of Polls emanating from the 2nd March 2020 Election to the Commission.

If the national recount is not proceeded with, Jagdeo supported calls made by the Private Sector Commission (PSC) to recount only Region Four votes which was deemed fraudulent by the international electoral observers.