June 16 proposed date for end of electoral process

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is discussing June 16 as the proposed end date of Guyana’s electoral process, including the recount and the tabulation report of the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), well-placed sources have told the News Room.

This date was proposed at the Commission meeting Wednesday between the Chairman Justice (rt’d) Claudette Singh, the six politically nominated Commissioners and the CEO.

The Commission is expected to meet again on Thursday to finalise this proposal as the Commissioners asked for some time to review the details.

The 25-day timeline set for the recount comes to an end on Saturday, May 30 and GECOM has to announce the extension before then.

The national recount initially commenced with 10 recount stations at the Arthur Chung Conference Center but this was increased by two following the slow pace of some counting agents.

GECOM wants to add two more recount stations but is still awaiting the approval of the National COVID-19 Task Force more than a week later.

Guyanese voted on March 2, 2020, but the results were tied up in legal battles as both major political parties in the country – the People’s Progressive Party and the incumbent APNU+AFC coalition have claimed victory.

Claims by the PPP that the tabulation of votes by country’s largest voting district – Region 4 – was marred by fictitious numbers led to the national recount of all ballots.