No proof ‘migrated’ persons voted; GECOM never checked

…admits request to Top Cop based on APNU/AFC’s demand

The Office of the Commissioner of Police has responded to a request by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) seeking to ascertain whether a list of names of persons supplied by the coalition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) were in fact out of the country on Elections Day.

The APNU/AFC list that was supplied to the GECOM Chairman listed some 207 persons said to have voted on Elections Day but were alleged to be out of the jurisdiction based on the coalition’s investigation. APNU/AFC requested the GECOM Chair to use the State machinery to ascertain its claims. However, the Police have since confirmed that 172 of the persons on the list provided were in fact out of the country on Elections Day.
GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, on Monday confirmed, however, that the electoral body never checked to see whether ballots were issued for the names of persons said to have been out of the country on Elections Day.
She told media operatives that the ballot boxes along with the corresponding List of Electors that would document whether ballots were issued had been resealed in the containers—in the Arthur Chung Conference Centre—and that the checks had not been made.
Speaking with reporters in the makeshift media centre erected outside of the ACCC venue, Ward disclosed that the Commission Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, did, in fact, write to the Police Commissioner—who also holds the portfolio of Chief Immigration Officer—based on the APNU/AFC’s request.
According to Ward, the coalition provided the Commission with a letter with an attachment of 207 names purported to be persons who were out of the jurisdiction and voted and that the Chairman wrote to the Commissioner of Police on May 22.
She said a response was received a week later, on May 27, which stipulated that 172 of those names did return to Guyana by March 2.
Ward reminded media operatives of the meeting between APNU/AFC and the Commission some time ago, saying “they expressed some concerns as it relates to what they termed as irregularities or anomalies.”
She said, during this meeting it was pointed out that APNU/AFC should provide “evidence” to the Commission.
“Responding to that request, they would have provided a letter with an attachment with a total of 207 names.”
Ward related that the GECOM Chair subsequently wrote to the Police Commissioner and that the response was that 172 of the 207 names did not arrive or return to Guyana.
Asked whether GECOM sought to ascertain whether ballots were issued to the names or serial numbers that would have been identified as out of the jurisdiction, Ward told reporters “I would not be able to provide that detail.”
Asked whether the list would have been sent as was received by the APNU/AFC before the Commission attempted to ascertain the veracity of the incumbent’s claim, Ward told reporters “that’s correct.”

Decision not to check
Defending the decision not to check with GECOM’s List of Electors to determine whether a ballot had been issued to those names, Ward said, “when a box has been counted the contents of the box is sealed back in that box including the list.”
She said a Statement of Recount (SoR) detailing the numerical aspects of the contents would be documented in that document “but the box with the contents of that box as received from the container is sealed back and place back into the container.”
Asked whether the Commission could not authorise a return to the ballot boxes in order to check with the list to see whether any ballots had been issued, before writing the police to verify whether the persons were in the jurisdiction, Ward said: “the Commission has not made a decision on the way forward on this matter.”
She did concede, however, that the ballot boxes are not inaccessible since they are in containers in the ACCC venue.
According to Ward “this issue remains a discussion at the level of the Commission; when the Commission has a position on how they move forward on this particular matter you will so be advised.”

Not sure
Asked to speak on the rationale behind the request by the Commission Chair, the Public Relations Officer said: “I am not sure what is the purpose, the Chair has written to the Commissioner, I am not sure as to the reason behind the Chair’s request.”
Speaking to the decision taken, Ward said she knows Commissioners were made aware of the intent but could not say specifically how it was communicated formally.
Responding to widespread legal opinions that GECOM would be acting outside of its remit by seeking to have APNU/AFC present evidence to the electoral body and for it to receive it and investigate same, Ward said the discussions continue to engage the Commission.
According to Ward, “I think it would be appropriate, this is an issue the Commission is still discussing and when the Commission itself makes a determination on how to proceed on the issue it would be communicated publicly.
She then opted to not speculate on the decisions taken by the Chairperson or Commission, saying, “when they arrive at a decision that will be communicated.”
The Public Relations Officer posited: “I believe that as Chair of a Commission there is an amount of authority that a Chair has to act within her purview…. I do not want to speak on behalf of the Chair but I am sure there is some wisdom as to why she would have written to the Commissioner [of Police].”