Guyana’s Court of Appeal is set to rule on Thursday on the challenge brought by Misenga Jones to prevent the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) from using the results of the national recount of the votes cast at the March 2nd elections to declare a winner.
Following written submissions and five hours of arguments yesterday, the court is considering whether acting Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire erred when she ruled that the constitutionality of Section 22 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, under which the recount was carried out, could not be addressed at this stage of the electoral process. Also being considered is whether GECOM is empowered to reject a report from the Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield.
Lowenfield has over the last month consistently refused to submit a report on the polls using the results of the recount. Instead he has most recently submitted a reports using declarations from March 13, including a discredited declaration from Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo.
