GECOM demonstrates no commitment to a transparent, credible recount – political parties

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) continues to demonstrate less than absolute commitment to a transparent and credible process of recounting of ballots.

Full statement below:
The engagement between GECOM and the political parties revealed several issues that require the urgent intervention of the Chairman and Commissioners. These issues include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Live streaming of the entire recount process, including tabulation of results;
2. The sequence and manner in which the ballots of the various districts will be counted;
3. Security of the containers containing ballot boxes before, during and after the recount, the physical location of the recount and of persons involved in the process;
4. Accreditation of persons involved in the process, including party representatives.
5. The immediate approval of observer status for all international and local observers, which were involved from the start of Guyana’s 2020 Regional and General Elections process; and
Facilitating the attendance of the Carter and OAS representatives at the recount.
In relation to live-streaming, we wish to reiterate our position that every aspect of the process should be made available to the public as it provides a level of transparency that can only serve to inject much-needed credibility and integrity to the process.
The plan provided suggests a deviation from a previous position of GECOM that districts would’ve been counted in ‘chronological’ order. The proposal to count various districts simultaneously poses several serious issues related to security and logistics and quite possibly, courts disaster. We, therefore, urge that the ballots be counted one district at a time, commencing with District 1.
It is critical to Guyana’s international reputation and recognition, that organisations such as Carter Center, OAS, Commonwealth, European Union, and local observer missions, such as PSC, AmCham, Guyana Bar Association, be granted observer status to ensure a credible recount process.
Finally, we call on GECOM to urgently address all of these outstanding matters and to put all systems in place to have the recount exercise commence, with dispatch.

A New and United Guyana
Change Guyana
Liberty and Justice Party
People’s Progressive Party/Civic
People’s Republic Party
The New Movement
United Republican Party