PPP calls for Lowenfield’s removal

Justice Claudette Singh

The opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Saturday added its voice to calls for the Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield to be dismissed for insubordination, while its presidential candidate Irfaan Ali accused him of denying the Guyanese electorate their democratically-elected government.

“This is an assault on democracy. This is an assault on the rule of law. This is an assault on our collective intellect. And, of course, this is an assault on the will of the people,” Ali said in a video statement.

Ali was speaking about the most recent report submitted by Lowenfield in which he disregarded a request to use the national recount of ballots cast at the March 2 polls to submit a final report on the polls. Instead, he reported new results, showing 236,777 votes for APNU+AFC, 229,330 for the PPP/C and 5,091 for a joint list of three new parties. It is unclear what informed his computation although the figures appear to utilise the now discredited Clairmont Mingo vote count for Region Four.