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Private Sector Commission Calls for Lowenfield’s suspension
The Private Sector Commission is now calling for the suspension of Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, as he has displayed conduct so partisan that it is tantamount to “criminal malfeasance”.
PSC Chair, Gerry Gouveia
The statement follows Lowenfield’s submission of a report to the GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh, with unjustified numbers, not reflecting those which were determined and certified as valid by the National Recount of votes.
While the recount shows the PPP/C to have won the elections with 233,336 votes, ahead of APNU+AFC’s 217,920, Lowenfield’s revised numbers seek to dump legitimate General Election valid votes cast by 115,844 voters, to give the coalition a victory and a one-seat majority in Parliament.
The PSC condemned Lowenfield’s actions and call for a full and independent investigation into his conduct.
In the cover letter accompanying the report, Lowenfield referred to the “guidance of the Court of Appeal” despite there being a three-day stay on the Court’s ruling and no reference to the order for the recount in the Court’s written ruling.
As the PSC pointed out, Lowenfield sought to “determine the final credible count” as has been touted by the coalition, and by the applicant, Eslyn David to the Court of Appeal, despite the Court refusing to grant the order referring to that, as it could not grant injunctive relief.
The PSC also noted that, in doing so, Lowenfield acted to disregard the instruction of the Chair of the Elections Commission which has general supervisory authority over the process, as stated in the recount order.
“Instead of carrying out the request of the Chairman of the Elections Commission made to Mr. Lowenfield in her letter of 16th June, 2020,” the PSC stated, “to use “the results of the Recount for the consideration of the Commission”, in his Report, Mr. Lowenfield attached a Table which he arbitrarily and unilaterally seeks to disenfranchise some… 25% of the persons who legitimately cast their votes in a completely valid process on Election day…”
It pointed out that Lowenfield’s report is “clearly fraudulent and represent[s] a blatant, if not criminal, attempt by Keith Lowenfield to manipulate the results of the Elections in favour of the APNU+AFC and to subvert the very responsibility of the Commission of which he is an officer and bound to serve professionally.”
Also notable, according to the PSC, is that Lowenfield’s apparently biased conduct did not begin at the submission of this report. Lowenfield had attempted twice to present for declaration a report on the elections results to the Commission, including fraudulent declarations made by Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, despite widespread international condemnation of Mingo’s flagrant breach of the law.
The PSC said that it expects the Chair to conform to the order of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) by refraining from making any declaration until the hearing and determination of the case, and its final orders.
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