– Head of OAS Observer Mission

“I have never seen a more transparent attempt to alter the results of an elections.”
That was the scathing comment, which head of the observer mission of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Bruce Golding, made about the tabulation process executed by Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo during Guyana’s Elections.

[from left] OAS Observer Mission Chief and former Jamaica Prime Minister, Bruce Golding; and Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo

Golding, a former Jamaica Prime Minister, made the remarks during a YouTube live earlier yesterday.
Mingo’s tabulation has been marred by accusations of electoral fraud and is the principle reason for the National Recount of votes.
Kaieteur News has verified that the tabulation was inflated in favour of APNU+AFC, in particular.
(See here: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ition-recount-shows/)
That was declared by Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire as unlawful.
In his YouTube comments, Golding provided further content, stemming from the mission’s experience of the tabulation for the Hadfield Street declaration of March 5, 2020, as well as the Kingston declaration of March 13, 2020.
He noted the use of a spreadsheet at Hadfield Street, which contained numbers that no one could account for, as the law requires that the entitled officials are to observe the transcription of the numbers from the statements of poll. Then, of the Kingston matter, Golding said the following.
“In ballot box 4062, 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 said.
“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 show 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 results for the Region Four General Election.
Describing the matter further, Golding said, “You know it takes an extraordinarily courageous mind to present fictitious numbers when such a sturdy paper trail exists. And this is being illustrated now as the recount proceeds.”
The paper trail he refers to, are the Statements of Poll in possession of the political parties, as well as the Statements of Recount, which are now being produced during the recount.
His statements are in line with statements made by eight political parties that, on the night of March 13 2020, Mingo presented clumsily doctored Statements of Poll, which clearly were so done to fraudulently favour APNU+AFC.
He continued that up to yesterday, 81 boxes were recounted for Region Four, and in just 20 of those boxes, APNU+AFC got a decrease in votes of 1,536, from the numbers presented by Clairmont Mingo; and the votes for the PPP increased by 177.
GECOM has noted reports of inflated figures, according to Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, but has not taken up the task of making that comparison on its own. Commissioner Sase Gunraj said that he would advocate for a comparison. While Commissioner Vincent Alexander said such a comparison would be beneficial, he did not commit to advocating for it.
Late last night, APNU+AFC executive Joseph Harmon put out a statement calling the statement made by Golding, “wholly partisan and unbiased”.
Therefore, the party concluded that Golding’s words lack credibility. Harmon further stated that Golding is a close friend of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.
Harmon did not respond to the contents of Golding’s statement, nor did he respond to the verifiable evidence which has surfaced over the past few days of Mingo’s tabulation being inflated in favour of the Coalition.
The APNU+AFC executive criticized, however, the fact that Golding did not mention the discrepancies the party claims it unearthed during the recount process. GECOM has stated that the claims are just claims, and that they will be treated as such in its observation reports.