The questionable process employed in tabulating the votes in Region Four and the results do an injustice to all of the voters, says attorney Selwyn Pieters, who was an observer at the March 2 general and regional elections.
On his Facebook page, Pieters gave an account of his experiences over the elections period up to March 6. He was present at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Region Four Command Centre on Hadfield Street and High streets at several key moments.
On March 4, Pieters recalled a series of events occurred with the Region Four Deputy Returning Officer (DRO) calling in sick, and Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo also “apparently fell ill” and was taken out on a stretcher. The vote tabulation process was delayed in Region Four and verification that essentially started at 1pm was suspended shortly after 2pm due to an absence of the Statements of Polls (SoP) and the use of a spreadsheet, he said. The attorney wrote that the verification resumed at 6pm and continued for about an hour because the staff complained of being tired.
