GECOM chooses open-ended “25-day recount” with no starting date

…denies live-streaming request
…no Mingo, but other ‘compromised’ staff remain

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Friday finalised its work programme containing the modalities for a recount of the March 2, General and Regional Elections; and has decided on a tentative 25-day duration for the activity, but is still to come up with a start date.

Commissioners, briefing media operatives who had been encamped all day outside of the Commission’s Headquarters in Kingston, Georgetown on Friday, noted that among the highlights of the day’s meeting was the agreement that the duration of the activity would be set at 25 days. This, however, is a tentative duration, and will be subject to revision by the Commission based on how the activity proceeds during the first week.
It was also divulged that GECOM Chairperson, retired Justice Claudette Singh, has ruled against ‘live- streaming’ of the activity, and has ruled out controversial Region Four Returning Officer (RO) Mortimer Mingo from being involved in the process.

Proposals refused
Updating media operatives following the conclusion of Friday’s meeting, Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) Commissioner Sase Gunraj lamented that the Commission did not opt to pursue more diligently a shorter duration period for the recount process.
He said the GECOM Chair had also thrown out a number of motions that he had tabled on behalf of the PPP Commissioners. Speaking to Justice (rtd) Singh’s refusal to entertain the additional proposals, Gunraj divulged that those had addressed a number of decisions that remained outstanding in order “to better enable the completion of this order.”
Those proposals were in regard to the exclusion of certain staff members from the process, live-streaming of the activity, a restriction of the activity to 14 days, and a formal setting aside of the controversial declarations that had already been made to the Commission.
It was subsequently decided that the Commission would aim to have the activity completed in 25 days, but with a caveat that the duration be extended at the discretion of GECOM.

Mingo out, others remain
Defending his 14-day proposal, Commissioner Gunraj reminded of his disagreement with GECOM having to be subjected to the restricted hours of work imposed by the National Coronavirus Task Force.
In regard to the use of controversial staff and their exclusion from the process, namely Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo and others, Gunraj noted that while the Chairperson essentially voted against his motion, she did indicate that the controversial RO would not be a part of the process.
Gunraj told reporters his motion had requested that the Commission resolve to exclude all Commission staff members who had been involved in activities that had resulted in controversy, allegations of fraud, and legal proceedings.
Gunraj said his motion had requested that those persons be removed from active participation in the recount process; but, he told reporters, in ruling on the proposed motion, the Chairperson said, “As far as I am concerned, the RO has no role; I do not have enough evidence against any of these, and the CEO (Chief Elections Officer) is entitled to staff; it (recount) would be done with transparency and under observation.”
Gunraj was adamant that this “is tantamount to voting against this motion as well.”
He did note, however, that the Chairperson, in her ruling, “extended that to mean that Mr. Mingo will not be there.”
That ruling, however, does not extend to any of the other staff members against whom the PPP Commissioners had raised objections.

Live stream
In regard to the activity being live-streamed to the public, lamenting that this had also been turned down, Gunraj disclosed that despite arguing for a lengthy time in defence of the proposal in a bid to arrive at some compromise, “there is no live-streaming of the process to be done.”
Reporters were told that concerns had been raised over the legality of the proposals, but according to Gunraj, while “there is a section of the law that says that the secrecy of the count must be maintained, the secrecy of the count has to do with polling stations.”
Reporters were told that the results of the activity could likely be broadcast at intervals, but Gunraj said he was unsure about the modality of this aspect. “The actual process will not be live streamed,” he declared.
Commissioner Gunraj did find favour with the Commission in relation to the PPP proposal in regard to making the tabulation process unambiguous.
“This motion became necessary because it directly touches on concerns, the skulduggery that Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo attempted at the Ashmin’s Building at GECOM Headquarters,” Gunraj explained.
The successful resolution, he said, dictates what happens after the Statements of Recount are transmitted to the tabulation centre, in that they must be displayed on a screen. The same would apply for the inputting of the day.
Additionally, the motion speaks to the verification of those documents before forming the basis for the report of the CEO regarding the final results.

Controversial declaration
Another of the motions by the PPP Commissioner that found favour with the Commission was in regard to re-inviting observers for the process.
On the matter of the controversial declaration made by Mingo, which currently forms part of the Commission’s records, Gunraj told media operatives that he submitted a motion addressing the issue. He said the specific declarations in question were those submitted by Mingo and used by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield to prepare a purported final elections result.
Gunraj said his motion called on the Commission to have the declarations set aside and rescinded. He reported that the Commission was divided in its vote on this matter, and required a deciding vote from the Chairperson. Gunraj said that in casting her vote on the matter, Justice Singh told Commissioners, “I will not be setting it aside until there is something to replace it. The recount will replace it.”
Other proposals shot down by the Chairperson included the submission of the CEO’s Statement of Poll for examination and the use of the Audit Office or a hired auditing firm to be a part of the process.