Recount passes 100 ballot boxes mark – Major parties clash on process, time taken

May 09, 2020 News

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On the third day of the National Recount, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) managed to complete the recount for 43 ballot boxes, a figure which now takes the total boxes counted to 108. This number however represent only 5% of the total number of 2, 339 ballot boxes that are set to be recounted from the March 2, General and Regional Elections, with almost 1/8 of the allotted time gone.

During yesterday’s count, ten ballot boxes were counted from Region One; ten from Region Two; 11 from Region Three and 12 from Region Four. This marks an average rate of 36 boxes per day, meaning GECOM would have to work for 62 more days to complete the count at the current place. That would place the end date somewhere in early July, far beyond the allotted 25days.
Nonetheless the recount kicked off its third day more smoothly than before. The first agent to speak to the press, APNU+AFC’s David Patterson said that the recount started on time.
“We’re all getting better,” he told reporters, “Every day, we work out more of the kinks in the system.”
He said that it is slow and painstaking, but that that is not a deliberate delaying tactic as has been claimed by opposition members.
Patterson addressed of the early stoppage of the recount process before the close of the poll by some workstations. This took place on the first two days as agents were seen walking out of the centre as early as 5:30pm when the recount is due to close at 7. He explained to reporters that the Coalition’s position is that if a ballot box is completed at about 5:30, it would not be sensible to open another box because it would not be completed before the closing time. Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander was asked about and he explained that it would be unreasonable to have the GECOM staffers working beyond the allotted time for closure, since they would have already been working for 11 hours, with many actually at the centre for 12 hours.
Opposition-nominated Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, however see the early stoppage as inefficient due to the fact that, in such a situation, a station would waste 90 minutes of a day, with no progress while the public hopes for a speedy resolution to the process. Former Attorney-General and PPP executive Anil Nandlall expressed opposition to the early stoppage and argued yesterday that the pace of the recount must improve. Patterson said that the Commission will have to examine that issue and determine the best way forward.
Meanwhile, concerns were raised about a ballot box for which the numbers of ballots in a box were allegedly much more than the number of names marked on the voters’ list. Patterson spoke about the issue early in the morning and said that it had to engage the attention of the Commissioners. He said specifically that 29 more votes were registered than names were crossed off on the list. APNU+AFC agent Ganesh Mahipaul also expressed concern about the implication for the credibility of the ballot box in question.

Nandlall yesterday also expressed his frustration over what appears to be attacks by the governing coalition on the credibility of the general and regional elections.
The coalition has been raising many objections during the national recount. It has also gone on a campaign of misinformation on social media (see story on page), with a “media centre” established on the lawns of the National Aquatic Centre, packed with members of the party, but no journalists. That tactic and the many objections raised during the recount process appear to be, according to Nandlall, an attack not just on the elections’ credibility but on GECOM itself.

“Though they claim they have won those elections, one would have expected them to protect the integrity of those elections,” the PPP executive said.
Nandlall said that the elections were deemed fair and credible by all parties and observers, and that GECOM should not allow APNU+AFC’s tactics during the recount to claim that GECOM did not run a credible election process.

At close of day, GECOM PRO Yolanda Ward related that the tabulation commenced promptly and continued unhindered to 06:30PM. At the end tabulation exercise for GECOM had processed general elections figures for 74 out of the 108 boxes completed, and 63 for the regional elections.
Meanwhile, questions were raised about whether the 5PM- 06:30PM allocated to tabulate the ballots would be sufficient, with Ward responding that the Commission, in their meeting today, will deliberate on a request to have the tabulation commence at 04:00PM, instead.

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