See full statement from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) below:
PRESS STATEMENT
Today the People’s Progressive Party, through its Commissioners at GECOM, put the Chairperson to a test in order to bring clarity, precision and a fair estimation of the duration of the recount exercise. We were forced to resort to this extreme measure after the nation endured over a month of delaying tactics, resort to the Courts to block the exercise, procrastination in making simple decisions, hours and hours of futile meetings, fumigation of the Author Chung Convention Centre, quarantining of all observers of the recount upon arrival in Guyana, etc. etc. – all being executed by the rigging cabal within the APNU/AFC, their Commissioners at GECOM and the minions in the Secretariat.
Today the PPP presented 10 simple motions to the Commission for its vote, presenting the Chairperson with a fair, adequate and unambiguous opportunity to demonstrate to the nation where she stands on the crucial issues raised in the motions. We set out below a synopsis of each motion and the position taken by the Chairman in relation to each:
| Motion Number | Synopsis | Chairperson vote |
| 1 | a) The originals of all Statements of Poll for District 4 received by the Chief Election Officer be provided by the said Chief Election Officer to Commissioners for examination;
b) Copies of the all of the Statements of Poll for District 4 received by the Chief Election Officer be provided to Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission by the said Chief Election Officer.
|
NO
(Although SOPs were made public in relation to the 2011 and 2105 elections upon the request of then Opposition Leader, David Granger) |
| 2 | That the entire recount exercise be observed by the Audit Office of Guyana or a duly accredited Audit Firm contracted by the Guyana Elections Commission, specifically for this process.
|
NO |
| 3 | That the entire recount exercise be live streamed on traditional and/or social media | NO |
| 4 | That the time for the conduct of the entire recount exercise be limited to fourteen (14) days.
|
NO- 25 DAYS TO BE REVIEWED WHEN NECESSARY
(with this length of time, along with the process being left open ended are significant factors to discourage the CARICOM Team and international observers to return to observe the process) |
| 5 | That all members of staff of the Guyana Elections Commission who were involved in the activities which resulted in controversy, allegations of fraud and legal proceedings in the High Court after Elections Day 2020, be removed from active participation in the recount process.
|
NO ROLE FOR THE ROs – ALL OTHER MEMBERS OF STAFF REMAIN
(This means that persons who were tainted in the previous exercise shall remain) |
| 6 | That the recount be conducted in strict accordance with Sections 84(6) to (11), 87, 89(1) and 90 of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03 of the Laws of Guyana.
|
THE DECISION IS IN THE PLAN
(An examination of the plan reveals that the process outlined is radically different from the procedure set out in the Representation of the Peoples Act and is therefore not in accordance with the law) |
| 7 | The tabulation of the Statements of Recount generated after the recount of each ballot box will be done at a central tabulation centre in the presence of the High-Level CARICOM Team, other International and Local Observer teams accredited by Guyana Elections Commission, representatives of political parties that contested the said elections, advisors to the Guyana Elections Commission, and such other persons authorized by the Guyana Elections Commission as follows:
a. The Statement of Recount shall be projected on a screen to be viewed by all persons present; b. The information from Statement of Recount shall be input into a spreadsheet which process shall be viewed simultaneously by all persons present; c. In the event of a pause in the inputting process, a report on Statements of Recount input at that time will be made provided to representatives of contesting political parties by the staff responsible for the tabulation; d. Upon completion of an entire district, the representatives of contesting political parties shall be given an opportunity to verify the accuracy of the entire tabulation and thereafter, sign off on same if he/she wishes to do so.
|
YES
YES
NO
YES
|
| 8
|
That the recount commences with Districts 1 & 4 simultaneously and continues with the remaining districts only after the completion of the said Districts 1 & 4.
|
NO
(this means that the Region which is the singular cause for the recount, will not be completed, perhaps, until the end of the exercise) |
| 9 | That the Guyana Elections Commission immediately invites to observe the recount process each of the International and Local Observer team accredited to observe the 2nd March 2020 elections.
|
YES |
| 10 | that the declaration of the election results of Electoral District number four (4) by Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, made on the 13th day of March 2020, and the consequential Report prepared and submitted to the Commission by the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, pursuant to the provisions of Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act, Cap 1:03, be set aside, revoked, annulled and rescinded by the Guyana Elections Commission.
|
ALL REPORTS REMAIN IN ABEYANCE PENDING ENDING OF RECOUNT PROCESS
(This presents an incentive for the rigging cabal to undermine, frustrate, if not derail the recount, completely) |
The way the Chairperson has voted on the issues above must be a cause for concern for the future of democracy in Guyana. It provides answers to many questions which have occupied every Guyanese, the diplomatic and the international community over the past 2 months. It explains her failure to intervene, while the fraud was being perpetrated by Mingo and the rigging cabal, both at Ashmin’s Building and later at GECOM Headquarters, Kingston, Georgetown. It also betrays the commitment she made to ensure the process is done fairly, transparently, expeditiously and in accordance with the law.
In the end, her position resembles closely Vincent Alexander’s proposals which he has been prosecuting before the Commission over the last month.
Having regard to the fact that the Chairperson has voted against the above mentioned crucial safeguards, there is now grave doubt whether this recount process will be credible and transparent.
People’s Progressive Party
April 24th, 2020
