… Adds 778 votes to APNU+AFC, takes 331 votes from PPP/C
… Recount vindicates statements of poll

By Kemol King

A Kaieteur News analysis of information covering 17 Region Four ballot boxes has shown a pattern of inflation of votes for APNU+AFC and of deflation of votes for PPP/C during the Kingston tabulation by Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo. Between just 17 boxes, Mingo’s general election tabulation subtracted 331 votes from PPP/C and added 778 votes to APNU+AFC.
This indicates that, for just those 17 ballot boxes, Mingo’s general election tabulation produced a total variance of 1,109 votes from the figures on the corresponding statements of poll.While members of the governing coalition have consistently dismissed the figures on the statements of poll (SOPs) which have been made public by political parties, and which have been posted outside each and every polling station for public scrutiny, the statements of recount produced by the GECOM work stations during the National Recount for these 17 ballot boxes, are overwhelmingly in correlation with the numbers on the SOPs provided. It should be noted that the coalition has so far refused to provide copies of the SOPs in its possession and which various representatives have claimed to be in alignment with Mingo’s figures.

Slight variations of just a few votes between the statements of poll and the statements of recount, have been accounted for by GECOM’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward, and GECOM Commissioners, who have noted that GECOM is actively reconsidering certain ballots which were rejected at the polling station, once the intention of the voter is clear. This would account in the variation of a small number of votes per polling station.

Background
Allegations that there might be attempts to rig the elections began mid-March shortly after the contentious pair of declarations of the Region Four results by Mingo was ruled as unlawful by Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire.
A slew of circumstances had halted the tabulation and when it resumed, Mingo returned with a spreadsheet, which showed numbers observers and party representatives did not see inputted onto the spreadsheet.

Though there was much protest over this, especially by the PPP, Mingo had gone ahead and made declarations based on those figures. The PPP challenged the declarations for the general and regional elections in Court and successfully got them vitiated.

The Chief Justice had sent Mingo back to the table, after she found that he did not stick to the law on the procedure necessary for the count. The illegality that occurred according to the Court, is that Mingo did not allow the persons entitled to witness the process the opportunity to observe when he placed the figures from the statements of poll on to the spreadsheet, if he did that at all.

It did not help the situation when the second general and regional declarations for Region Four, made on March 13, also followed a tabulation marred by a lack of transparency and accusations of electoral fraud. Five of the contesting political parties had reported to Kaieteur News that Mingo produced inflated statements of poll, with numbers that were clearly clumsily doctored. This newspaper’s analysis is of information drawn from that tabulation, and vindicates the claims made by the five parties.

Political parties reported that the statements of poll were projected in such a way that they could not ascertain the veracity of the numbers or the authenticity of the documents. Observers and political parties reported that when they asked Mingo to view the security features on the statements of poll, they were rejected.
Nevertheless, Mingo made a second pair of declarations of the Region Four General and Regional Elections results, which did not command enough public confidence for GECOM to consider them at the time for the announcement of the official elections results.

Mingo’s first pair of declarations was at odds with his second pair, but the governing coalition did not appear to care for that and signed off on the declarations both times. Joseph Harmon, APNU+AFC campaign co-chair had revealed that the party hoped its presidential candidate, David Granger, would be sworn in quickly.

That did not happen, as calls began to mount, particularly from the international community, for a fair and credible conclusion to the electoral process. Though attempts were made by an APNU+AFC candidate, Ulita Moore to prevent the recount, GECOM has finally managed to get the recount underway, more than two months after the March 2 General and Regional Elections, after President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo agreed that it should be done.

Public Evidence and A Clear Pattern of Manipulation

A previous Kaieteur News report had proven that Mingo’s Hadfield Street declaration was altered in favour of APNU+AFC, with video evidence of the altered numbers being called out at the Hadfield Street RO’s office, for ballot box #4058.

Kaieteur News’ analysis is based on audio recordings published by The Citizenship Initiative, of Mingo’s general election numbers being called out during the Kingston tabulation, for 13 ballot boxes, and figures supplied for four ballot boxes by the Head of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Observer Mission, Bruce Golding, in the mission’s preliminary report on Guyana’s 2020 Elections to the OAS Permanent Council.

This party has so far published video clips comparing the statements of poll published by the PPP/C to the statements of recount, with accompanying audio of a female GECOM official reading out the figures during Mingo’s tabulation for the Kingston declaration of March 13, 2020. Of 13 ballot boxes, the information indicates the following.

For ballot box #4104, the statement of poll showed 111 votes for PPP/C and 132 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation subtracted 30 votes from PPP/C, reducing the count to 81, and added 30 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 162. The statement of recount showed an increase from the statement of poll, of two votes for the PPP/C, to 113, likely due to previously rejected votes now considered valid at the recount.

For ballot box #4105, the statement of poll showed 108 votes for PPP/C and 93 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation subtracted 20 votes from PPP/C, reducing the count to 88, and added 50 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 143. The statement of recount showed increases from the statement of poll, of five votes for PPP/C, to 113, and five votes for APNU+AFC, to 98, likely due to previously rejected votes now considered valid at the recount.

For ballot box #4106, the statement of poll showed 168 votes for PPP/C, and 77 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation subtracted 20 votes from PPP/C, reducing the count to 148, and added 30 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 107. The statement of recount showed increases from the statement of poll, of 10 votes for PPP/C, to 178, and one vote for APNU+AFC, to 78, likely due to previously rejected votes now considered valid at the recount.

For ballot box #4109, the statement of poll showed 236 votes for PPP/C, and 93 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation subtracted 30 votes from PPP/C, reducing the count to 206, and added 40 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 133. The statement of recount showed the same result as the statement of poll.

For ballot box #4110, the statement of poll showed 80 votes for PPP/C, and 171 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation subtracted 20 votes from PPP/C, reducing the count to 60, and added 20 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 191. The statement of recount showed the same result as the statement of poll.

For ballot box #4111, the statement of poll showed 71 votes for PPP/C, and 170 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation subtracted 30 votes from PPP/C, reducing the count to 41, and added 40 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 210. The statement of recount showed the same result as the statement of poll.

For ballot box #4116, the statement of poll showed 99 votes for PPP/C, and 138 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation subtracted 30 votes from PPP/C, reducing the count to 69, and added 50 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 188. The statement of recount showed the same result as the statement of poll.

For ballot box #4117, the statement of poll showed 152 votes for PPP/C, and 105 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation subtracted 30 votes from PPP/C, reducing the count to 122, and added 30 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 135. The statement of recount showed the same result as the statement of poll.

For ballot box #4125, the statement of poll showed 119 votes for PPP/C, and 104 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation subtracted 20 votes from PPP/C, reducing the count to 99, and added 50 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 154. The statement of recount showed increases from the statement of poll, of one vote for PPP/C, to 120, and three votes for APNU+AFC, to 107, likely due to previously rejected votes now considered valid at the recount.

For ballot box #4126, the statement of poll showed 284 votes for PPP/C, and 42 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation subtracted 20 votes from PPP/C, reducing the count to 264, and added 40 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 82. The statement of recount showed an increase from the statement of poll, of one vote for PPP/C, to 285, likely due to previously rejected votes now considered valid at the recount.

For ballot box #4139, the statement of poll showed 146 votes for PPP/C, and 99 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation subtracted one vote from PPP/C, reducing the count to 145, and added 40 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 139. The statement of recount showed the same result as the statement of poll.

For ballot box #4149, the statement of poll showed 93 votes for PPP/C, and 114 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation added 30 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 144. The statement of recount showed the same result as the statement of poll.

For ballot box #4150, the statement of poll showed 41 votes for PPP/C and 207 votes for APNU+AFC. Mingo’s tabulation added 30 votes to APNU+AFC, increasing the count to 237. The statement of recount showed the same result as the statement of poll.

OAS Observer Mission Preliminary Report

Golding , in his preliminary report to the OAS last week provided information on four Region Four ballot boxes as evidence of what he referred to as the most transparent attempt at altering an election that he had ever encountered. He provided the following details contrasting the SOPs in his possession, the numbers declared by Mingo, and the recount figures provided by two-person OAS team currently observing the recount.

“In ballot box 4062,” he asserted, “the statement of poll had indicated 182 votes for APNU and 43 for PPP/C, The returning officer reported those results as 292 votes for APNU and 33 votes for PPP. When that box was recounted, the numbers were 182 for APNU and 43 for PPP, the exact figures that appeared on the statements of poll.”

“Let me give you another example. Box 4063,” he continued, “The statements of poll issued on elections night recorded 15 votes for APNU and 276 votes for PPP. The RO declared the results as 85 votes for APNU and 246 votes for the PPP. When that box was recently recounted, the numbers were 15 votes for APNU and 276 votes for PPP, exactly how it appeared on the statements of poll.”

Then, Golding said “Box 4064. Statement of Poll issued elections night, 70 votes for APNU, 93 votes for PPP. The RO declared that result as 170 votes for APNU, 100 more, 73 votes for PPP, 20 less. When the box was recounted, the box showed 71 votes for APNU, 96 votes for PPP.”

The one additional vote for APNU+AFC and the three additional votes for the PPP, he explained, were due to the decision by GECOM to consider certain rejected votes as valid, once the intention of the voter is clear.

“And finally, box 4074. Statement of Poll shows 86 votes for APNU and 84 votes for PPP. The RO declared the results as 104 votes for APNU, 64 votes for PPP. When the box was recounted, 86 votes for APNU, 84 votes for PPP, exactly as the original Statement of Poll has shown.”

Kaieteur News is in possession of photos of these statements of recount, and has verified the veracity of the recount results stated by Golding, for the region four general election.