ECD ballots remain with 242 boxes to go

National recount

The recount of votes cast on March 2 has so far completed nine of Guyana’s 10 electoral districts denominated by administrative Regions – leaving all available stations to focus on the 242 boxes remaining to complete that aspect of the exercise.
The activity being run-off by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) concluded its 30th day, completing 83 boxes.
Regions Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) had their final boxes counted on Thursday with tabulation certificates for those districts expected imminently.
At the end of Thursday, votes tabulated to date for the general election give the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) a convincing margin of victory, securing 195,185 votes thus far, contrasted against the incumbent’s 188, 112 votes.
The Liberty and Justice Party, led by Lenox Shuman, registered 2500 votes in its favour so far while A New and United Guyana (ANUG) with Timothy Jonas as its Chairman has had 1945 of its votes recounted.

Together with the 220 votes tabulated from across the electoral districts for The New Movement (TNM), the joinder alliance has so far collectively had 4665 of their votes ascertained through the recount process.
The Citizenship Initiative (TCI) – another of the new political parties contesting the elections – has so far seen 593 ballots earmarked for its showing in this year’s general elections.
The United Republican Party has had 337 votes tabulated in its favour.
An assessment of the votes tabulated thus far gives the PPP/C 50 per cent of the ballots cast and recounted thus far, while the coalition APNU/AFC commands just over 48 per cent of the votes with the six new political parties accounting for just about two per cent of the electorate’s vote.
Shuman’s LJP has emerged as the frontrunner among the smaller parties securing the highest number of votes apart from the traditional juggernauts.
The ballot boxes left to be recounted are primarily from polling stations along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) while 2063 of the 2097 boxes recounted thus far have had the votes tabulated.
The Commission is expected to complete the recount and tabulation exercise by Monday at which time Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield is expected to amalgamate the results in order to be presented to the Commission for its deliberation.
According to the gazetted Order, Lowenfield has until June 13 to deliver his report at which time the Commission will have three days to decide on whether to have him use the results contained in that report for the official declaration of the March 2 polls.