Hundreds gather daily to keep watch on ballots’ containers

Hundreds of self-styled ‘Guardians of Democracy’ gather daily to keep watch on the ballot boxes from the March 2 general and regional elections which are seen as key to finally establishing the winner and end the crisis that has gripped the country three weeks on.

The boxes are stored at the headquarters of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in Kingston, Georgetown. Some had been controversially moved on Friday without political parties being notified.

For the persons, who are supporters of political parties and members of civil society, keeping watch on the ballot boxes has not been an easy task but they are of the belief that the sacrifice must be made to protect the ballots from being tampered with. The gatherings occur despite a global novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis that has seen dozens of countries shutting their borders and locking down cities and persons urged to isolate themselves to try to combat the spread of the disease which has claimed thousands of lives.