June 16 end date for electoral process is too long – PPP

The June 16 proposed end date for the electoral process in Guyana, including the recount and the tabulation report of the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), does not find favour with the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) which believes that the process can be concluded much sooner.

Presidential Candidate of the PPP, Irfaan Ali, in providing the party’s view during a briefing on his Facebook page Thursday, said the timeframe proposed by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is “too long.”

The PPP believes that the recount of the ballots at the Arthur Chung Conference Center from the March 2 elections can be concluded by June 11.

“If we continue to do an average of 80 [ballot] boxes per day, it would take us 12 days to complete the recount exercise. If we take 12 days to complete the recount, why is it GECOM needs eight days to have the declaration. This is puzzling.

“It is our view that this timeframe is too long,” Ali said.

GECOM is currently discussing the June 16 proposal.

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.

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.