On today’s episode of the matinee production put on by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the national recount of ballots cast at the March 02 General and Regional Elections is once more stalled. This time an emergency meeting of all the Commissioners and Chair was called.
GECOM Chair, retired Justice Claudette Singh called the meeting with the six Commissioners to address the issues surrounding the national recount.
President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo agreed to a national recount under the supervision of a high-level team from CARICOM. Both leaders gave assurances to CARICOM Chair, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, that the recount would be facilitated with Region 4-the most contentious district, being first.
However, GECOM is yet to commence the recount and it seems as though that process will also be marred in controversy as was the count for Electoral District Four (Demerara-Mahaica).
On Monday evening, officials from the various election observer missions and party agents converged at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, to commence the counting of the Region Four ballot boxes which arrived under heavy Police escort.
Stakeholders stood outside, waiting for hours as the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) made the logistic arrangements to commence the process but this never got underway.
GECOM, in a statement, said that all systems are in place for the count to begin but they are awaiting a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed by President Granger, Jagdeo and CARICOM officials.
