‘Increase speed but guard integrity’ – Jagdeo offers full support of more counting stations

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday offered his full support for an increase in the number of counting stations in the ongoing recount exercise of the March 02, 2020 elections.

Jagdeo said he is willing to support the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in anything that will increase the speed of the recount but which will not compromise its integrity.

“We want the recount to be completed, we want it to be done expeditiously, transparently and whatever the outcome is there must be a declaration based on the recount,” Jagdeo told reporters outside the Arthur Chung Conference Center.

There are currently 10 counting stations in the recount activity but GECOM is concerned that with the pace the 10 stations the exercise will go way beyond the 25 days deadline.

GECOM said earlier this week that it intends to approach the National Covid-19 task force to seek permission to increase the number as a means of completing the process faster.

But Jagdeo is skeptical that an increase in the number of recount stations hinges on permission from the task force.

Jagdeo said he believes that the task force, which is made up and headed by senior members of the incumbent APNU+AFC coalition, is too political in its restrictions on the recount.

He pointed to its refusal to let the Carter Center observation team back into Guyana and its earlier request for mask to be changed every two hours during the recount.

“…this task force is too political,” he said.

Jagdeo went a step further to claim that some of the members of the task force are part of a plot to rig the March 02, 2020 elections.