…on elections
Now that all twelve counting stations at the ACCC are assigned to the remaining less-than-200 ballot boxes from the East Coast Demerara, these should be knocked off by tomorrow afternoon. The question, however, is what happens next? Can we expect those recount numbers to be announced by the Commission as the final and official results of the March 2 elections?? Don’t expect to exhale any time soon!!
Even if there isn’t a PNC deus ex machina lurking in the wings, those recount numbers are just another way station to a process that could be extended until “thy kingdom come”! The numbers will first be given to no other than Major (rtd) Keith Lowenfield, CEO of the GECOM Secretariat, for him to compile. Now, don’t forget that the numbers from the first COUNT, when Mingo did his thing over at Ashmin’s on his Reg 4 compilations, have already been compiled by the same Lowenfield…who chose not to make any comments on the Mingoed numbers!! This time, however, he’ll be including all of the wild allegations the PNC agents threw up during the recount process.
And this is where matters will get tricky with this wild card. The Lowenfield numbers and summary of allegations will have to be taken as definitive – just like Mingo’s previous numbers were – and then be considered by the full Commission. With this body split down the middle between the Government and the Opposition, the Commission really now becomes Chairwoman Claudette, who has the casting vote. So how will she proceed?
We don’t need to speculate when she’s already shown her hand. Remember her bold asservation from a week ago: “He who asserts must prove”? If you did, then you’d also remember that, the very next day, she executed a complete somersault when she received a list of migrant-voter “anomalies” from the PNC’s Harmon and proceeded to zip them over to the Commissioner of Police to be checked out.
This he had the Chief Immigration Officer do, and returned the list to Claudette, claiming that from the list of 205 persons, 172 shouldn’t have voted. Bingo!!
What that signals to us is that when Claudette reviews the Lowenfield numbers and caveats, she’ll find a “preponderance of the evidence” to show the election was fatally flawed! This will be hers and the Commission’s “announcement”!! This, of course, is what the PNC had been shooting for ever since Mingo’s sleight of hand was sighted by one and all!! So, what happens next??
It’s anyone’s guess, but the courts – eventually the CCJ – will certainly be brought into the picture.
As the 5-year clock winds down, you’ll have to exhale!!
…or GECOM to expire
The EU Observer Mission just released its report on the March 2 elections and its denouement. No surprise there, since the EU Rep has been pretty candid about what went down at Ashmin’s with the Mingo Manoeuvre. The EU Mission’s summation, however, deserves to be quoted in full, since it’s remarkable that neither the GECOM Chair nor her CEO even alludes to it.
After complimenting the orderly election, the EU Mission noted: “However, the integrity of the entire electoral process was seriously compromised by the non-transparent and non-credible tabulation of results in the largest and decisive Region 4 by senior Guyana Elections Commission officials, acting in blatant violation of the law and High Court orders issued in this regard.”
“Senior GECOM officials” …plural!! And we know who those are, don’t we??
Lowenfield, his deputy Roxanne Myers and Mingo were there stirring up the witches’ brew (cackling and all!) with some employees with laptops and flash drives.
But we shouldn’t forget that the Madam Chairwoman was also there – sequestered in a room.
The EU suggests GECOM must go!!
…on Harmon’s ultimatum
Granger and the PNC types like to boast about the “independence” of GECOM. But then Burnham used to do the same when he had his poodles, Jackman and Bollers, as chairs back in the day.
Hence Harmon’s ultimatum to Claudette!!
