The Private Sector Commission (PSC) yesterday expressed disappointment at the response by Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh, to its request for the release of copies of all the Statements of Poll (SoP) for every district.
In a statement, the PSC said that it had requested that Singh release the SoPs in the interest of providing credible public disclosure of the results of the March 2 general and regional elections.
In her response to Chairman of the PSC Gerry Gouveia, which was released by the PSC yesterday, Singh said that any action on her part on the matter is dependent on the decision of the High Court.
“While I understand your request is intended to contribute meaningfully to the process, you would be aware that this matter is currently engaging the attention of the court and a decision will be forthcoming soon. In this regard, any further action on this subject would be dependent on the decision of the Court,” she wrote.
“However I wish to remind you that Section 83 (9) of the Representation of the People Act specifies the statutory officers to be issued with SoPs at the close of poll and the alternative mechanism for other interested groups or persons to obtain the information contained therein,” Singh added.
“I am hopeful that there would be a resolution very soon in relation to the concerns adumbrated in your correspondence,” she concluded.
The High Court yesterday denied a request by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo for the release of SoPs.
With the March 2 polls marred in controversy, the results are yet to be officially declared and the PPP/C and other contesting parties are accusing the elections commission of electoral fraud in favour of a victory for the incumbent APNU+AFC.
In its statement, the PSC said that from its own observation, it is perfectly satisfied that the SoPs used by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo in tabulating the results of the elections in Region Four were never established as authentic and were not verified in a transparent manner as directed by Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire.
The PSC, therefore, requested that Singh release the SoPs in the interest of providing credible public disclosure of the results of the elections, the statement said. It added that the PSC is disappointed at the response received.
The PSC requested that copies of all of the SoPs of every district be released to the commission and further proposed that scanned copies are made available to all of the contesting political parties.
The statement said that the PSC made this request as an Accredited Local Observer on the basis that in the November 2011 General and Regional Elections, when the credibility of the tabulation of the election results was questioned by A Partnership for National Unity, then in opposition, GECOM voluntarily released the SoPs to all of the contesting parties, thereby setting a precedent.
