Granted that precaution needed due to the Coronavirus issue, the issue is to effect the recount of the ballots.

The entire process which must be corroborated by the SOPs, can be done in about three to four days.

Of note ... Region 4 is the one that really needs to be verified.

Demerara_Guy posted:

Granted that precaution needed due to the Coronavirus issue, the issue is to effect the recount of the ballots.

The entire process which must be corroborated by the SOPs, can be done in about three to four days.

Of note ... Region 4 is the one that really needs to be verified.

DG, seeing that u appear to be versed in such matters, does this mean come friday everything will be put to rest and a winner declared?

Not necessarily, Sheik ....

They are "rambling around aimlessly" and unfocused on the main issue to recount the votes; with emphasis for Region 4.

Guyana laws require that a decision must be made at the end of this month - April 2020.

Perhaps, it could be extended by the time it took to address/resolve the matter in the Courts.

GECOM Chair to announce details of recount today

By Kemol King, Apr 17, 2020 News 0 , Source -- Kaieteur News Online -- https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ls-of-recount-today/

Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair, (ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh SC is set to inform the Commission, today, of her final decisions on the modalities of the recount. Those modalities are key to determining the duration of the recount.

Table showing proposals made by Commissioners

This is what was communicated to reporters by Commissioners Vincent Alexander and Sase Gunraj, following the Commission’s meeting yesterday. GECOM was set to make these determinations a few days ago, but the decisions have been postponed time after time for varying reasons, even as Commissioners have noted the growing frustration and impatience of the electorate.

The two Commissioners said that there would be no meeting of the Commission today. Singh is expected communicate her decisions to them via email.

The Commissioners aired their proposals exhaustively during yesterday’s meeting and the Chair has opted to take all of the proposals under advisement.

GECOM Chair, Claudette Singh, after a site visit at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Wednesday

Commonwealth Senior Technical Advisor Dr. Afari Gyan was present in the meeting, according to Gunraj, and the Chair is expected to consult with the advisor before making her decision. The Chair will also consult with CARICOM, who is expected to field a mission to validate the recount.

Alexander explained that the decisions the Chair has to make, all surround the duration of the exercise, especially as it relates to how long it would take on average to examine one ballot box and how many counting stations are to be used. He informed reporters that she briefly adjourned the meeting yesterday to communicate with CARICOM, after which she reconvened the meeting.

She reportedly revealed that CARICOM expressed concern about Commissioner Gunraj’s proposal of 20 workstations, because it would involve many persons being in one compound.

In the context of COVID-19, Alexander disagrees with the proposal.

Gunraj had said that he estimated there would be about 15 persons per workstation, which meant 300 persons would have to be present in the compound of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. This did not bother Gunraj, as he opined that the Centre had sufficient space to maintain the necessary social distance.

Gunraj said that he believed he had sufficiently justified his proposal in both his written and oral supplements.

Alexander had made a very different proposition on behalf of the Government-nominated Commissioners.

Alexander had made a proposal for eight workstations, following the visit to the centre. With his proposal, there would be two stations in the eastern wing of the auditorium, two in the western wing, one in the dining hall, one in the western half of the courtyard, and consideration for two on the eastern and western patios. He also suggested dining be done in the eastern half of the courtyard.

He had a lot to say in opposition to the proposal by the Opposition-nominated Commissioners.

He explained that Gunraj considered his [Alexander’s] proposal for workstations inside the centre, and suggested adding more on the lawns of the centre to add up to the 20 stations that he proposed.

Alexander said that Commissioner Robeson Benn appeared to assume Gunraj’s proposal as his own, at one point, and proposed that all of the 20 workstations be erected on the lawns.

He said that Benn, at one point, even argued that it would take 30 minutes to examine one ballot box. But Alexander, who said Benn’s assertion of 30 minutes is ridiculous, interpreted it to mean Benn considered the count as a mere numerical count, which he maintained it would not be.

Alexander and Gunraj had both noted that the nature of the count is dictated by the Representation of the People Act, where it describes the count as it would be done in a polling station after the close of polls. This process includes examining all the contents of the box, determining their veracity, and balancing the numbers.

Though Benn reportedly briefly attempted to build on Gunraj’s proposal, Alexander stressed that Gunraj’s proposal set the time to be taken on one ballot box at one hour, not 30 minutes.

Whichever proposals of the two Opposition-nominated Commissioners are considered, Alexander said that his contention continues to be that a large number of persons being in the compound would not contend well with the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines necessary to maintain everyone’s safety.

Alexander reiterated his statements from the day before, that the proposal of 20 working stations included working in tents, and that that would pose a security risk. On the other hand, if rooms are used, there would be better control of the operations, and less of a likelihood for the confusion of a “mob situation” as it had ensued at the Hadfield Street command centre weeks ago, he had argued.

On behalf of the Government-nominated Commissioners, Alexander said he presented, for the Chair’s convenience, the different durations his proposal of eight workstations would carry the recount, if the time taken for each ballot boxes averaged one hour, one and a half hours, and two hours.

Alexander said he laid “square on the table” that if the exercise he envisages is to take two hours per ballot box, the recount would require about 64 days; if the exercise takes an hour and a half per box, the recount would last about 48 days; and if the exercise took an hour per box, the recount would last 32 days. He said that the amount of time spent on one ballot box is a vital factor in evaluating the proposals.

Alexander did not indicate how many daily working hours these calculations contemplated. However, Commissioners previously noted that the Secretariat’s plan for the recount proposed working 10 hours per day.

A calculation considering that proposal showed that Alexander’s calculations made sense, with a little time to spare.

He said yesterday that it appears as though the consensus on average time taken per ballot box would be an hour and a half. This would carry the recount less than 48 days, if the Chair decides to use eight workstations.

Besides the proposals by the two Commissioners, there is the Secretariat’s proposal which suggests the use of five workstations. That proposal was made before the field visit on Wednesday, but was not modified after the visit. The Chief Elections Officer did not indicate how long the recount would take under the Secretariat’s proposal.

Otherwise, the GECOM Chair reportedly told the Commission that CARICOM floated the idea of streaming the recount in real time to the CARICOM team or the observers if they could not be present. There is no confirmation of the CARICOM team’s presence for the recount.

Gunraj said that the Chair is still expected to make a decision on a proposal to have the recount live-streamed to the public as well, but that was not a suggestion made by CARICOM.

The Chair is also expected to communicate with the COVID-19 task force for clearance to conduct the recount.

Alexander said, should the next few days go smoothly, the public should look forward to a gazetted order for the recount over the weekend.

GECOM people back in de disco

Apr 17, 2020 Dem Boys Seh, Features / Columnists 0 , Source - Kaieteur News, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...le-back-in-de-disco/

Dem boys did warn y’all that you can’t put cat fuh watch milk. Dem seh that the OAS seh the same thing, but in different words.

Bruce de Goldfish, the former Jamaica leader, tell GECOM that the OAS nah want fuh see bias people involve in the recount. He mean all of dem who been engaged in rigging should play no part in the recount. Dem boys agree wid he.

But dem boys know how some of dem gat no sham… like you know who.
Dem boys seh too much fancy footwork tekkin’ place with this recount. It look like the old crooks up to dem old tricks again. Dem believe dem back in de disco and on the dance floor – skatin’, slippin’ and slidin’.

No name, no warrant! But dem boys know who should be there and who should not be. Dem boys know that some of dem only pretending dem want recount. Dem real plan is to create a kerfuffle – a big commotion. Dem dragging it out to put things in place.

Dem boys feel the foot-dragging with the recount could change overnight. All dem US embassy got to do is ask some of dem scamps in GECOM to bring in dem passports. Yuh gun see how quick dem guh get sense.

Wah miss some a dem, nah guh pass dem. Dem holding de country to ransom with dem shadiness. And dem boys know that the whole world seeing wha going on, and that dem embassy gun tek action when the time is right. Every man jack who try to rig elections gun gat to face the music.

Talk half and wait fuh see who spouse and pickney gun get letter from de embassy soon.

The chairman says 10 work stations. When would they START counting and how long this nonsense would last.

I think with COVID in the way, this counting will take 4 months or more with lame excuses.

 Look for the constitution fiasco end of April.

BREAKING: GECOM Chair decides no more than 10 workstations but no date for recount stated

By Editor On Apr 17, 2020, Source - https://newsroom.gy/2020/04/17...-for-recount-stated/

The Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice Claudette Singh has determined that the national recount of votes cast on March 02 should be done using no more than 10 workstations. However, she has not indicated when the recount would start.

She has also determined that the workstations would be placed inside the Guyana International Conference Centre.

Given the measures in place to limit large gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Chair has also written the National COVID-19 Task Force with what she said are some “specific” requests.

Please see below full email sent to GECOM’s Six Commissioners:

Dear Commissioners,

Pursuant to my undertaking at the Commission meeting held on 16th April, 2020 to communicate my decision via email on the number of workstations to be used for the national recount of ballots cast in the 2nd March, 2020 General and Regional Election, please note the following:-

Having considered all the circumstances in light of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the requirement of social distancing, I have decided as follows:-

1. that there should be no more than ten (10) work stations, subject to the availability of the requisite equipment and technology to display the ballots;
2. that each work station should tabulate its own results;
3. that, for security reasons, all the work stations should be located inside the Conference Centre building.

Please also be advised that I have written to the Prime Minister / Chairman of the National Covid-19 taskforce with some specific requests. He has since indicated that an urgent meeting of the taskforce would be convened to discuss same and a response would be provided shortly.

Best regards,

Justice Claudette Singh SC, CCH
Justice of Appeal (Retd)
Chairperson
Guyana Elections Commission

Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh (DPI photo)

Demerara_Guy posted:

BREAKING: GECOM Chair decides no more than 10 workstations but no date for recount stated

By Editor On Apr 17, 2020, Source - https://newsroom.gy/2020/04/17...-for-recount-stated/

Please see below full email sent to GECOM’s Six Commissioners:

Dear Commissioners,

1. that there should be no more than ten (10) work stations, subject to the availability of the requisite equipment and technology to display the ballots;

Best regards,

Justice Claudette Singh SC, CCH
Justice of Appeal (Retd)
Chairperson
Guyana Elections Commission

Maybe the Chairman needs another meeting, perhaps in two week's time; to determine if there are adequate equipment and technology.

Then another meeting in two week's time to discuss the findings.

After that, perhaps another two weeks to get a few answers.

etc., etc., etc..

Claudette Singh, Dingo, Roxanne Meyers, and Lolofield need to go visit and hug up them COVID-19 patients at Georgetown Public Hospital. They can ask Vulga Vulva and Harmon to accompany them.