‘PPP will take all steps to ensure recount done in proper manner’ – Jagdeo

With the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) gearing for a national recount of votes cast on March 2, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Bharrat Jagdeo has warned against any attempts to tamper with the results from the recount.

Jagdeo during a virtual press conference on Thursday said the PPP will take all the necessary steps to ensure that the process is done in a transparent manner.

“We will take all steps necessary to ensure the recount is done in a proper manner,” he said.

The General Secretary said if any attempt is made to tamper with the recount, it will remove any hope the international community has for a transparent electoral process and will result in severe sanctions against Guyana.

The United States Government has threatened to implement sanctions on Guyana if a President is sworn in using the current election results which has been deemed fraudulent by international electoral observers and foreign missions in Guyana.

“…if they proceed to swear in a President on the basis of a recount that is not credible, then the full force, the weight of the international community will fall upon Guyana and those individuals like a tonne of brick.

“If they attempt to tamper with the recount, then that doesn’t change the position that the results are not credible…if they tamper with the recount, the results remain not credible,” Jagdeo said.

He said this is the final opportunity to fix the electoral process and avoid consequences from foreign powers.

GECOM Chairman Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh will on Friday communicate her decision by email to the six Commissioners on the logistical arrangements for the recount.

The main issues are how many workstations would be used for the recount and how long it should take to count a single ballot box. There are 2, 339 boxes which need to be counted.