PPP frustrating recount process

THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has made significant strides in finalising the operational plan for the national recount; and is reportedly one step closer to finalising a draft order for the plan to take effect; but the process continues to be frustrated by opposition-nominated commissioners, who are bent on reviving old issues that have long been decided on.

This is according to Vincent Alexander – a government nominated elections commissioner. On Thursday, after exiting a meeting of the elections commission, which was held for more than seven hours, Alexander expressed his frustration.

“It was a very lengthy meeting but is reflective in the way in which at GECOM we waste time. Much of the meeting was spent going through the work-plan, probably for the third time, and time wasting can be related to the fact that there are commissioners, who continue to go back to issues which would have been settled,” Alexander told reporters outside of the GECOM Headquarters.

He said the majority of the day was spent dotting ‘i’s’ and crossing ‘t’s’ in the operational plan, and discussing issues already decided on.

Citing an example, the government-nominated commissioner said although the elections commission, chaired by Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, had long decided that four GECOM personnel would be assigned to each of the workstation; the issue was again brought up.

It was noted too that though the elections commission had agreed on the manner in which the results at the workstations would be exhibited, issues relative to that process were again raised during Thursday’s meeting. “There were issues as well about the way in which the results at the workstations would be exhibited; whether in fact those results would be exhibited statement of poll by statement of poll or whether it would be some accumulative exhibition of those over time, so that too was another matter that came up for discussion,” Alexander explained.

Added to that the issue on the number of workstations to be used during the national recount, was again raised, though the Chair of the Elections Commission, last Friday, indicated that there will be no more than 10 workstations established. This week, the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) cleared those 10 workstations as being in compliance with measures established to prevent the spread of the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). The workstations would operate for a period of 10 hours daily from 8:00hrs to 18:00hrs.

“There is one commissioner, who is still saying that he has individual advice that overrides the advice of persons who are duly authorised to give advice, and would be bringing this matter back to us for us to understand even if there is a decision, it is not a right and correct decision, that is the kind of useless engagements we are involved in; the decision is already made,” Alexander explained.

Opposition-nominated Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, who also indicated that the majority of the day was spent combing through a revised draft operational plan, remained resolute in his position that more than 10 workstations could be accommodated at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, while expressing his dissatisfaction with the task force’s involvement in the process.

“I disagree, first of all, with the ability of any COVID Task Force to impose restrictions, and secondly, I disagree with the restrictions themselves that they have purported to impose, in relation to the number of hours per day to do that,” Gunraj told reporters.

Meanwhile, Alexander, though declining to name the commissioner who is bent on regurgitating old issues, said he would not be surprised if today, additional issues are raised at time when the elections commission is expected to approve the operational plan for the national recount.

According to Alexander, the operational plan was finalised with the exception of the duration for the national recount, which would be influenced by a number of factors including the time needed to count the votes in each of the ballot boxes. “We have undoubtedly settled the number of workstations. I think we have in our control the number of hours but I don’t think we as yet have finite information about how long it would take [to count] the box,” he posited, while noting that it was suggested that the first day be used as a simulation exercise, so as to allow the commission to have a “good” estimate on the time needed to process a ballot box.

But Commissioner Gunraj said it would be “unfair” to have the recount commence without establishing duration. “I believe it is unfair to all concerned to have an opened-ended process,” he told reporters in a separate interview.

In addition to finalising the operational plan, the elections commission is expected finalise the draft order that would trigger the entire process. Commissioner Gunraj submitted a draft order on Tuesday, however, when the commission met Thursday, amendments were proposed by Commissioner Alexander.

According to Alexander, Gunraj’s draft, in part, did not reflect the decisions of the commission. He explained that there was an attempt to suggest that the votes for Districts One and Four must be tabulated simultaneously, and declared upon completion before proceeding to any other district. But Alexander said this proposal flies in the face of the commission, which had decided that the Region Four votes must be tabulated simultaneously with all other regions.

“We have agreed that what we want to happen is come to a conclusive count across the board so we can make a final declaration. In that process, because of the size of Region Four we thought that we would do Region Four…which represents 45 per cent of the votes, and 37 per cent of the boxes, and have parallel to Region Four other regions done,” Alexander explained, noting that the commission will not deviate from its initial position.

Nonetheless, he remains hopeful that the elections commission would be able to finalise both the operational plan and the draft order today. Commissioner Gunraj also expressed the hope that the order would be finalised today.