Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally yesterday defended the delay in the announcement of elections results, while announcing plans to pursue an electronic-voting pilot project as part of preparations for local government polls.

“GECOM is not and will never be involved… in any clandestine machinations with any political party nor do we rig elections,” he told  a news conference at the Pegasus Hotel, before Chief Election Officer Gocool Boodoo declared the final results.

After almost a two hour delay before the scheduled start of the announcements, the results were declared yesterday afternoon with the three government-nominated commissioners, Mahamood Shaw, Moen McDoom and Keshav Mangal as well as two of the three opposition-nominated members Vincent Alexander and Robert Williams present. The other opposition-nominated member, Charles Corbin, was absent.

Surujbally acknowledged public anxiety, but emphasised that the results had to undergo the necessary scrutiny to produce reliable declarations. “…We must at all times strive to get it right,” he said, “That is why the results having been derived from the elections, which were conducted in accordance with international best practice, must be absolutely accurate, must be unchallengeable and must be able to withstand any scrutiny.”

Alexander said that the results generally reflected the will of the people and he did not think that anything could make a material difference to them. Although the results were delivered two and half days after the polls—a half a day’s improvement over the timeframe in 2006—GECOM has faced intense criticism over its failure to deliver early results. President Bharrat Jagdeo and the major contesting parties in the elections have all voiced disappointment at GECOM over the delay in the release of results.

On the delay, Surujbally warned of the consequences of releasing “incorrect declarations.” He admitted that GECOM could have accepted the results by telephone from the presiding officers for a next day release of results.

“But apart from being in contravention for the laws, that would be a recipe for disaster,” he said, noting that the procedure as set down in the law requires that the individual statements of poll be checked for accuracy and verified with the results in the possession of the returning officers for each of the 10 districts. “These returning officers’ reports are deliberately subjected to the intense scrutiny of various tiers… and checks at the GECOM command centre [and] if an error is detected, the process for that district cannot and will not go forward,” he added.

Surujbally, however, did announce a pilot project to carry out a comparative electronic voting system when preparations for local government elections start next year. Before Surujbally spoke, a man took to the podium and said he was a member of “the Anglican movement” and was there to declare himself “the king of kings.” He was quickly escorted away by police.

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