CARICOM team must supervise elections recount

CARICOM team must supervise elections recount – Jagdeo

Apr 04, 2020 News

Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has called on the return of the High-Level Team from CARICOM to supervise the National Recount of Ballots from the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

The reason for this, he shared, is because he has no confidence in the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to conduct a credible process.
Jagdeo at his press conference pointed out that “GECOM has compromised themselves so much that it would be hard for them to lead the recount process.”
GECOM Chair, Justice Ret’d Claudette Singh, yesterday ordered the long-awaited recount to commence but Jagdeo is of the view that it will be further delayed as was done in previous weeks.
The initial national recount agreed to by both President David Granger and Jagdeo was slated to commence on March 16 and supervised by the high-level CARICOM team.
But, several events throughout that day, marred this process including an injunction filed by APNU+AFC candidate, Ulita Moore.
The CARICOM team, consisting of Chairman Francine Baron, Former Attorney General and Foreign Minister; Anthony Boatswain, the Former Finance Minister of Grenada, along with Cynthia Barrow-Giles, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies and two Chief Elections Officers from Barbados and Trinidad, left Guyana, unable to conduct their intended task.
According to Jagdeo, several delay tactics will be used again to prevent the recount from commencing.

CARCIOM High-Level Team (from left): Ms. Angela Taylor, Chief Electoral Officer, Barbados; Mr. Anthony Boatswain, former Finance Minister, Grenada; Ms. Francine Baron, Chair of the Team and former Attorney General and Foreign Minister, Dominica; Ms. Fern Nacis-Scope, Chief Elections Officer, Trinidad and Tobago; Ms. Cynthia Barrow-Giles, Senior Lecturer, Department of Government, UWI.

“Look at the extent they have gone to stop the recount, contrary to their public statements that they want a recount and that Granger wants a recount…they have gone to a great extent to stop this recount and even now, they have a case filed before the court.”
They are hoping somehow that the recount would be stopped and that Justice Singh would have no choice but to declare a President under these fraudulent results,” the Opposition Leader said.
Along with the CARICOM high-level team, Jagdeo has hopes that whenever the recount commences, local and international observers will return to review this process.
“I hope that the Commission can make a decision on the way forward that will hopefully see the return of the CARICOM team, along with the other observers, those who are interested to seeing this process come to a swift and legitimate conclusion.”
Jagdeo also made a case for the national recount to be televised to ensure the utmost transparency of the process.
“We hope that the observers will be present, as many as possible…we are arguing that the recount should be televised or put on social media so that all Guyanese see this themselves and it will be in fully transparent environment…” Jagdeo added.

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