Three days left for recount and no decision on extension

May 28, 2020 News

– 46 percent of boxes still remain

With only three days left for the recount of the March 2 polls, and 46% of the 2,339 ballot boxes to be completed, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is yet to make a definitive decision on the extension of the 25-day timeline.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Commission, Yolanda Ward had stated that the Commission after having a gauge of the first week of the recount, would deliberate on whether the timeline would be extended.
The recount deadline expires on Saturday and according to information received, GECOM Chair, Ret’d Justice Claudette Singh and the six nominated Commissioners are expected to meet today to discuss the revision of the timeline, 23 days into the process.
Commissioner Sase Gunraj told this newspaper that the new date will also encompass the time for the declaration.
The main Opposition, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) along with the political parties throughout the recount had raised several concerns about the pace and ability of the Commission to meet the 25-day timeline set for the recount ongoing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
Many of those parties had posed several recommendations, including the addition of new workstations to speed up the process.
The Commission did, after a review by the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) team of the National COVID-19 Task Force, add two new workstations and those were allocated to Regions 6 and 7.
Initially, six areas at the Conference Centre were identified as possible sites for new workstations but due to the breaches in the COVID-19 guidelines recommended by the HEOC, approval was only given for two bringing the total workstations to 12.
Meanwhile, on day 22, GECOM managed to complete 93 ballot boxes, the highest number since the recount commenced.
This now raises the total number of recounted ballot boxes to 1,383, with some 956 remaining to be counted in the remaining days.
Ward, informed the media last evening that 19 boxes were counted for Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara); 22 for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); 19 for Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne); nine for Region Seven (Cuyuni- Mazaruni); 11 for Region Eight (Potaro- Siparuni); and 13 for Region Nine (Upper Takaku- Upper Essequibo).
She added that of the number of Statements of Recount, 1,337 were tabulated for the General Election, while 1,336 for the Regional Election.
The recount for Regions One, Two and Five have been completed.

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