Drama at ballot recount

Sep 05, 2025 News

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…as WIN and APNU square off with PPP 

Kaieteur News – Amid allegations of electoral irregularities, recounts of ballots in Sub-District 4 (East Coast Demerara) and parts of Region 5 (Mahaica-Berbice) and Region 8, Potaro-Siparuni, began on Thursday and will be continuing today.

The recounts were initiated following requests made by the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) parties, both of which claim discrepancies in the recently concluded 2025 General and Regional Elections. These recounts must be completed before any official declaration of the new president can be made.

On Wednesday, leaders of both APNU and WIN submitted formal requests to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for recounts in several regions. APNU’s presidential candidate, Aubrey Norton, indicated that his party requested recounts in Regions Four, Seven, and Ten. However, GECOM only granted a recount for Sub-District 4 of Region Four, deeming that request valid. Meanwhile, WIN’s presidential candidate, Azruddin Mohamed, alleged that his party received multiple credible reports of serious irregularities, including missing Statements of Poll (SOPs), tampered ballot boxes, and voter fraud involving non-residents. He described the elections as neither free nor fair. Mohamed said that as result, his party is seeking recount in a number of regions including Region Eight. However, GECOM denied WIN’s recount request, stating that the party representative who submitted it was not properly accredited to do so. A subsequent request by WIN for a Region 4 recount was also rejected, according to official correspondence from GECOM. However subsequently after, the recount for Region 8 was granted.

The recount began at GECOM’s headquarters with a focus on 391 ballot boxes from Region 4  Sub-District 4 and 77 from parts of Region 5.

At around 18:15 GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj provided an update stating that over 100 boxes had been processed by that time. He noted that 25 tables had been set up to work simultaneously, each manned by three GECOM staff members. Most political parties had also assigned agents to observe the process. Gunraj emphasized that, so far, the recount revealed no significant changes in vote counts compared to the original SOPs. “There may be one there that a question is asked about.  But by and large, there has been no significant change in the results,” he said.

He confirmed that after completing the count for Sub-District 4, the team would proceed to recount the 77 ballot boxes from Region 5.

Opposition-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander echoed similar sentiments, confirming that to date, there had been no major deviations in the numbers.

However, the recount process has not been without debate. Around midday, APNU party agent Shaneka Haynes voiced concerns, claiming “everything is going wrong,” though she did not provide specific details. Another APNU agent also expressed dissatisfaction with the process, indicating that the party was not pleased with how the recount was being conducted.

Meanwhile, Odessa Primus, General Secretary of WIN, commented on a tense moment during the recount. A video circulating on social media showed a dispute over the validity of ballots marked on the party symbol rather than inside the designated box. Primus criticised the hostility displayed during the proceedings, particularly from PPP/C agents, and called for more decorum, especially from individuals who have held ministerial positions. She noted that the process should be straightforward and respectful. “It has gotten a bit better after the blow-up a few minutes ago, of course, by the PPP agents, which is very unfortunate,” she said.

Primus went on to identify several infractions her party had observed during the recount, including discrepancies in vote tallies, irregularities in documentation, and inconsistencies in signatures. “We’ve seen SOPs for both regional and general elections signed by the same individuals, yet the signatures are drastically different,” she explained. “I can understand over the years your signature may or may not change, but to have such drastic change in not a person, but in all four, in the cases that we’ve seen, three and four persons signing, the signatures are different.  The returning officers, the PO’s signature, however, is consistent on all of those documents.”

As the day progressed into evening, large groups of supporters from the PPP/C and WIN parties gathered near the GECOM office. Notably, there was no visible presence of APNU supporters in the area.

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• allegations, APNU, ballot, High drama, recount, win

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