Members of the APNU+AFC coalition this morning met with GECOM insisting that the commission make the official declaration of the elections result, however the commission is maintaining that it has until noon tomorrow to make the public declaration.
“It is our view that obstacles are being put in the way of the commission making a final declaration. We are calling on the commission to identify this as mischief and make a declaration”, executive member of the coalition Dr Rupert Roopnaraine told reporters minutes after exiting the commission’s office.
Attorney-at-law and also executive member Basil Williams, added that the commission said that it is bound by the law which gives it up to noon tomorrow “and if a request is made (for a recount) they would have to determine if to accept it or not. They would have to wait until noon tomorrow to see if a request of a recount is made,” Williams said.
He added that the commission stated the law. However, the coalition believes that it is an act in futility as there would have already been a verification which would have seen no material differences in the preliminary results which were announced. He disclosed that the Returning Officers signed off on their statements of polls at around 10 am today meaning that the commission has its verified result which should now be given to the public. He said that any challenge of that verified result has be done through an elections petition in the High Court.
Once the commission makes that public declaration it then paves the way for David Granger to be sworn in as President.
In a subsequent statement on television, Roopnaraine says the coalition wants the swearing in of the new President to occur immediately after the formal declaration of the result.
The PPP/C has thus far said that it is not accepting the results which has given the coalition a slim majority.
Asked if there would be a public declaration today, Williams said he doesn’t think so.
This means that a public that has been anxiously awaiting the official results of the Monday elections will have to wait much longer.
“The law provides a mechanism for dealing with disputes, it is called an elections petition…go ahead and make the declaration who don’t like it go to the court,” a clearly agitated Roopnaraine said.
Other members of the team that met this morning included Joe Harmon, Amna Ally and Raphael Trotman.
The commission also met with PPP/C members earlier.
