Granger backpedals: now speaks about ‘conditions’ to accept GECOM’s declaration

Caretaker President David Granger has switched gear again, shifting from a position he outlined a few weeks ago that he would accept “any declaration made by the GECOM Chairman” to one in which he is now saying that he “would abide by any declaration that the Chairman makes in keeping with the laws of Guyana”.

GECOM Chairperson Justice Claudette Singh had ordered Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield to prepare his report for final declaration using the certified recount results which show that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has won the elections with in excess of 15,000 votes more than Granger’s incumbent A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition.
On several occasions before, Granger had said that he has never interfered and would never interfere with the work of the Elections Commission, since it was an independent constitutional body, and he would abide by any declaration made by the GECOM Chairperson.
However, now that the national recount has confirmed that the PPP/C has emerged as the winner of the March 2 polls, Granger’s coalition is now engaged in a relentless push to discredit the recount process and to revert to the March 13 declarations made by the 10 Returning Officers (ROs).

The March 13 declarations include the fraudulent figures by District Four RO Clairmont Mingo. His declaration was proven to be false during the recount process as it included heavily inflated numbers in favour of Granger’s APNU/AFC coalition.
The GECOM Chair, during Monday’s Commission meeting, set aside those declarations by the 10 ROs. This means that the only valid results standing are those from the national recount.
Further, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) endorsed the national recount, which was agreed to by the President and Leader of the Opposition, following the huge controversy over Mingo’s discredited declaration.
The CCJ, in its clear, definitive decisions handed down, said the recount results must be used as the basis for Lowenfield’s final report and it was for GECOM to ensure that the CEO complied with this directive.
Last weekend, Lowenfield, in clear defiance of the CCJ’s ruling, presented a report for declaration which included Mingo’s fraudulent figures and which showed a false victory for the APNU/AFC coalition.
However, on Monday, that report was refused by the Chairperson, who then directed the CEO to present another report on Tuesday, based on the Certificates of Recount generated from the recount.
Lowenfield has since refused to carry out the Chair’s directive. Just prior to the time set for the submission of the report, a move was made to the court by APNU/AFC supporter Misenga Jones, who is seeking to block GECOM from making a declaration using the credible recount results. Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George has since held a case management session and has fixed Friday for oral submissions. She has since indicated that Sunday may be the tentative day for her ruling.