Tougher penalties against electoral fraud needed – Jagdeo

…says fraud detected in over half of Local Authority Areas

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo is arguing for tougher penalties for political parties found to be engaging in electoral fraud, even as discrepancies with candidate lists have already started appearing.

Jagdeo made this statement at his press conference on Monday. At the time, he revealed that there were already several instances of electoral fraud for the 2018 Local Government Elections (LGE). According to Jagdeo, as many as 42 out of 80 Local Authority Areas have cases of forged signatures or persons being tricked into signing backers’ lists.
“They were told that they were signing for something else, that this is for GECOM. They were told they’re signing for trenches or better roads or to get a Justice of Peace application approved.
“But remember the number – 42 of 80 areas, we have seen this kind of illegality. And this is why we will be pressing ahead to urge GECOM [Guyana Elections Commission] now for the national elections to look at areas where we will strengthen penalties for transgressions of the law. Not just for ROs (Returning Officers) and election officials, but also for parties contesting elections when they act fraudulently.”
According to Jagdeo, his party’s advocacy will include greater definition of what the offences are and stiffer penalties. He noted that a number of PPP supporters have been going into the RO office in order to complain about their inclusion on candidate lists.
“This is a large scale, it’s a massive set of fraudulent action… 42 of 80 Local Authority Areas they have submitted fraudulent information. And we’re getting the people now, large numbers of them.”

Fraud
This comes in the wake of reports from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) of signatures representing a dead person, overseas-based Guyanese and even the illiterate appearing on an Alliance For Change (AFC) list.

There have also been reports that there was electoral fraud on a PPP list from Wakenaam. However, Jagdeo has since promised that his party would withdraw from contention in that constituency if it is proven that his party candidates engaged in fraud.
The General Secretary pointed out, however, that this was only one area, whereas claims of electoral fraud by other parties occurred in several areas.
Meanwhile, AFC General Secretary Marlon Williams was contacted on Tuesday and claimed not to have any evidence of electoral fraud involving AFC lists. According to Williams, however, he would be “eager” for such cases to be brought to his attention.
Signatures representing one dead person, six who live overseas, and 18 who claim they did not sign the forms, including a man who cannot read or write, have all appeared on forms submitted to the RO when the AFC list was presented to GECOM on Friday.
Relatives of Radha Jugroo said she died in the USA on June 26, 2018, but her name and a signature purporting to be hers have appeared on the AFC list. The daughter of Dhanraj Deonat — Babita Davie — has also told this publication it was impossible for her father to have signed the AFC list, because he can neither read nor write.
She explained that Deonat uses his thumbprint whenever he is required to sign something. The woman also presented her father’s National Identification Card to show that the number corresponds with the number affixed next to Deonat’s name on the AFC list submitted to GECOM. On the identification card there is a thumb print in place of a signature.