The Commonwealth Observer Group to the March 2 general and regional elections yesterday reiterated its criticism that the vote tabulation process for the all-important Region Four was “not credible” and has express-ed regret that a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) team to recount the ballots has departed.
“It is the clear and considered view of the Group that the tabulation processes conducted by the Returning Officer for Region 4, Mr Clairmont Mingo, were not credible, transparent and inclusive,” the Group said in a statement yesterday.
Over two weeks after the March 2 polls, the results are still to be declared with allegations of fraud and court challenges impacting the process.
The Commonwealth mission, which was constituted and deployed by Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland following an invitation from the Government of Guyana, withdrew from Guyana on Sunday.
In its statement yesterday, the Group said that the series of events that it observed in the tabulation of Region Four results between 3-14 March are of grave concern. Specific issues included the “repeated cessation” of the tabulation process for “a variety of irregular reasons,” it said.
The Group said it did not observe any material or substantive impediments inside the tabulation room, which might have prevented the resumption of the tabulation process. “It is the Group’s clear view that robust exchanges between political party agents in the room only occurred when the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) repeatedly halted the tabulation process,” the statement said.
It also highlighted the “unlawful declaration” made by Mingo on March 5 at about 2 pm, despite the tabulation process being halted. “The unlawful 5 March declaration of Mr Mingo was undertaken under heavy police guard; and his departure from the tabulation centre was guided and guarded by six police officers,” the statement said.
The Group also cited the “continued failure” of Mingo to comply with the 11 and 13 March orders and judgments of the Acting Chief Justice. “On 13 March, the Chief Justice made it patently clear that actual statements of poll should be shown to entitled parties present. For the avoidance of doubt, the Acting Chief Justice demonstrated herself how this should be done and enquired “what was the difficulty in doing so” during the contempt of court proceedings,” the statement said.
“However, on resuming the tabulation after leaving the court on 13 March, Mr Mingo refused all requests from those entitled to be present to view the actual statements of poll and did not display the spreadsheet being populated. This compromised the process of ascertaining the credibility of the statements of poll relied on by Mr Mingo to tabulate the results; and, it was impossible for party agents and those entitled to be present to observe that the numbers being called out were being accurately entered on the spreadsheet,” the statement added.
“In some cases, the tabulation totals announced by Mr Mingo on 13 March reflected more voters than were entered on the list of eligible electors for certain polling stations,” the Group said.
It added that at no point did the leadership of GECOM halt or rectify “these blatant instances of disregard for the rule of law and electoral ethics, despite its vested authority to independently ensure credible elections.”
Despite the “serious and persistent electoral malpractice” observed by the Group from 3-14 March, it welcomed the CARICOM initiative, at the invitation of President David Granger, to deploy a high-level team to Guyana, to supervise a recount of the ballots. The Group notes with regret that the team has now departed Guyana having been unable to complete their task, the statement said.
On Tuesday, the CARICOM high-level team that was due to oversee a recount of votes cast at the March 2 elections departed Guyana as a court order blocked GECOM from proceeding although both Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had agreed to the process.
The Commonwealth Observer Group, in its statement, commended the people of Guyana for “peacefully exercising their right to vote for the government of their choice on 2 March. This is a sacred constitutional and universal right. This right of the Guyanese people is respected when every vote is transparently and credibly counted,” the statement said.
“In accordance with our Terms of Reference, the Group will submit its full report to the Common-wealth Secretary-General, who will forward it to the Government of Guyana, the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission, leaders of political parties, and to all other 53 Commonwealth Governments,” it added.
