The Electoral Observer Mission of the European Union (EU EOM) said yesterday that it trusts the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to expeditiously conclude the electoral process using the data from the National Recount.
GECOM Chair, (ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh
The Mission made this statement yesterday, in addition to welcoming the report of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Recount Scrutineer team, which found that the March 2 polls were credible, and that the results of the recount are “completely acceptable”.
The EU team said that CARICOM’s report reflects the findings it had made in its own final report on the elections; that voting and counting were well managed “all over the country, as was the tabulation of the results in nine of Guyana’s ten regions.”
Like the CARICOM team, the EU team highlighted the Region Four tabulation, described by CARICOM as “disastrous”. The EU EOM said that the Region Four tabulation had “seriously compromised” the integrity of the electoral process.
Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo had twice produced fraudulent declarations. But the watchful eyes of a series of political parties and electoral observers had caused the fraud to be unearthed on both occasions, and the National Recount has corrected the numbers.
Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield is expected to submit a report of the results of the National Recount under Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act, pursuant to the order for the recount.
Upon receipt of this report, GECOM Chair, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh is expected to declare the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) victor of the March 2 polls, and Irfaan Ali President Elect.
