GECOM conducts field visit at recount venue … To decide on number of counting stations today

Apr 16, 2020 News

By Kemol King

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has expired yet another day without making a decision on the number of counting stations to be utilized for the national recount that all of Guyana waits for.

Members of the GECOM Secretariat

Commissioners [from left] Desmond Trotman, Vincent Alexander and Sase Gunraj inspecting the site

GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh exiting the Conference Centre

Commissioners nominated by the Government and the Opposition both said that they had expected there to be a decision yesterday, seeing as there was a field visit to the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, the venue for the execution of the recount.
That visit was pivotal in determining how many counting stations could be reasonably accommodated there.
But discussions following that noon visit prolonged so much that the Chair, (ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh, opted to adjourn the meeting for another meeting this morning. Though she reportedly hoped to discuss matters with finality and set a conclusive start date for the commencement of the recount, she decided it would be best to let staffers go home early to adhere to the Ministry of Public Health’s curfew.
Commissioners hope a decision could be ironed out today, as the number of counting stations to be used is the most pivotal factor informing the duration of the recount.
Commissioner Sase Gunraj said, following his inspection of the premises, that the proposal he made for 20 counting stations is easily achievable.
He revealed that the modified plan from Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, proposed five workstations, but Gunraj said that such a proposal is ordinate as it would not decrease the originally proposed 156-day duration of the recount enough. He noted that the modified proposal omitted to pose a new timeframe, an omission Gunraj views as deliberate.
Commissioner Vincent Alexander said that Lowenfield was probably considering the logistics of the previously contemplated CARICOM-supervised recount when he suggested five workstations, as there would have been five supervisors.
Alexander said that he made a proposal for eight workstations, following the visit to the centre. With his proposal, there would be two stations in the eastern wing of the auditorium, two in the western wing, one in the dining hall, one in the western half of the courtyard, and consideration for two on the eastern and western patios. He also suggested dining be done in the eastern half of the courtyard.
Alexander did not endorse Gunraj’s proposal for 20 workstations, explaining that, such a proposal would include working outside of the building on the grounds of the centre. He is not comfortable with such a proposal.
He said that the proposal included working in tents, and that that would pose a security problem. On the other hand, if rooms are used there would be better control of the operations and less of a likelihood for confusion as it had ensued at the Hadfield Street office weeks ago, he posited.
To ensure GECOM maximizes its operations for a speedy recount, Alexander said that there is a proposition for the recount to go from 9 am to 5 pm, but that he wants to discuss with the relevant authorities the opportunity for permission to go beyond 5 pm.
To ensure social distancing is maximized, GECOM has agreed to reduce the number of GECOM officials present at each workstation from six to four, as tabulation has been moved away from the workstations, Alexander told reporters.
He said that one representative from each party would be allowed at each workstation, with one local observer and one foreign observer. As there are quite a few foreign observer missions, Alexander explained that the missions will have to deliberate amongst themselves and decide who will be present at each workstation.
Gunraj said that CARICOM will have to determine just how it is fitting its operatives into the process.
GECOM has also decided that the procedures for the recount will be rooted in certain statutes of several sections of the Representation of the People Act, namely Sections 83, 84, 87 and 89. These statutes describe the exact nature of the recount.
If any irregularities arise during the process, both Commissioners indicated agreement that GECOM would address those at the level of the Commission after a final report on the process is prepared, instead of interjecting during the execution of the recount.

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