PUTTING THE RESULTS BEYOND QUESTION
May 13, 2015 | By KNews | Filed Under Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom, Source
Both of the two main political groupings, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) and the coalition APNU+AFC are claiming victory in what, if the numbers are to be believed, would be the closest election race in the history of Guyana, and possibly in the Region. It is hard for anyone to contemplate a closer race.
But precisely because the race was believed to be so close, there is going to be disputation over the results. APNU+AFC will claim that it won the elections; the PPPC will contend that it also won. In fact, the celebrations have already begun in the streets, despite there being no official announcement as yet.
The ultimate adjudicator is of course the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), but the recklessness of both of the main parties declaring that they have won the elections is going to leave the supporters of whichever camp is judged by GECOM to have lost the elections feeling that it was cheated.
This is the danger that presents itself when parties go ahead and announce that they have won, even before all the votes have been counted. It should never have happened, and one has to question why if APNU+AFC believed that it had an unassailable lead, it would not have waited for the official confirmation as the PPPC had done in 2006 and 2011.
Of course, following the 2011 elections, APNU also claimed that it had won and resorted to street protests. But this time around the AFC is part of a joint opposition coalition and one has to give some credibility to the fact that it is not likely to be party to a false declaration of results.
That said, there will be thousands of Guyanese who will feel that APNU+AFC is trying to claim victory without having won. This will fuel suspicion over the results; something that Guyana can do without.
This suspicion that will now develop over this premature declaration of the results of the elections means that the country will become far more divided and dangerous. This matter can however be settled amicably and to the satisfaction of all.
This column today proposes a way in which to put beyond any doubt the results of these elections.
GECOM should go ahead and meticulously tabulate the results of the various statements of poll. It should check and recheck this to ensure full accuracy, even if it takes a week. The political parties should encourage their supporters to be calm and allow GECOM to do its work.
Following this and in compliance with the law, GECOM should make its announcement. Whichever party it deems to have won the elections will thus assume the presidency.
However, in order to appease the supporters of the losing side that there were no mistakes with the tabulations of its results, and in order to reinforce further confidence in the count, GECOM should submit copies of its statements of poll and invite the two main parties to prepare copies of their statements of poll.
A group comprising members of each of the international observer teams should be put together and asked to undertake a verification of GECOM’s results. This should set the supporters of the losing party at ease or alternatively present a case for a legal challenge to the results.
