At yesterday’s Local Government Elections (LGE), APNU candidates in Georgetown and New Amsterdam last night appeared to have defeated their former colleagues who crossed over to the ruling PPP/C.
In three constituencies tracked by Stabroek News in Georgetown and one in New Amsterdam, lesser known A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) candidates outpaced candidates with a higher national profile. (See box by box results within.)
With no official results released at all by the Guyana Elections Com-mission (GECOM) up to press time this morning, APNU and the People’s Progressive Party/C (PPP/C) clashed over the outcome. APNU claimed victory in Georgetown, New Amsterdam and Linden. Little information emanated last night from neighbourhood democratic councils (NDCs).
In constituency 13 in Georgetown – West Ruim-veldt-East Ruimveldt, APNU candidate, Winston Harding easily defeated PPP/C candidate Trichria Richards in the eight boxes for which Stabroek News retrieved Statements of Poll. The margin of victory was large and the victory for APNU in these boxes underlined the view that voters were voting the party line and were not being influenced by defectors. Richards had been a leading APNU councillor at City Hall until she switched to the PPP/C.
That move left APNU in disarray and they were forced to put up Harding who had to be withdrawn after winning in the 2016 LGE because he had been embroiled in a child molestation scandal. He has since been cleared and this was the APNU argument in restoring him to the slate.
At the Ascension Nursery School he defeated Richards by 66 to 13 in one box and by 48 to 16 in another. At Rodlyn’s Shop he won by 48 to Richards’ 16 and by 63 to 14 at the East Ruimveldt Secondary School. At another box at the latter school he won by 62 to 4 and by 74 to 10 at another station within this school. At another box at Rodlyn’s Shop he was victorious by 120 to 30.
In Constituency 12 – Tucville – North Ruim-veldt where the PPP/C had appeared convinced that it had pulled off a coup by attracting former APNU Mayor Pat Chase-Green to its camp, the ruling party got a shellacking. APNU’s candidate Troy Gordon Garraway handily defeated Roneta Allison Small who had been taken around the constituency by Chase-Green during campaigning.
At Tucville Primary Garraway secured 127 votes compared to Small’s 19 in one box and 42 to 23 in another. At the St Christopher Nursery he won by 91 to 19 in one box, 100 to 23 in another and 90 to 21 in a third. At the Lions Club day care he won by 114 to 24 in one box, 143 to 26 in another and 100 to 23 in a third. At Turning Point he secured victory by 74 to 18. At Tucville Secondary he won by 101 to 21.
In Constituency 10 – Albouystown – Charles-town, APNU ran close to another candidate who had had community credentials and had just crossed over to the PPP/C. Malcolm Ferreira had announced he had joined the PPP/C and the fact that he had easily won the constituency in the 2016 LGEs put APNU under pressure.
Last night, the candidate they fielded, Traves Cleon Ellis performed creditably against Ferreira in the boxes tracked by this newspaper. At St Stephen Primary School, Ellis won by 41 to 17 but lost by 27 to 37 in one box at Carmel Secondary and by 36 to 65 at a second. At Ketley Primary Ellis won by 34 to 20 in one box and lost narrowly at a second by 57 to 59. Ellis however secured 80 votes at Donna Plass’s Residence compared to Ferreira’s 43. At Charles-town Secondary, Ferreira got 53 votes and Ellis 43 in one box and at a second box it was 23 to 22 in favour of Ferreira again. At Albouystown Nursery, Ellis won by 50 to 36 in one, lost by 36 to 55 in another and 35 to 36 in a third. At Selman Fraser Nursery, Ellis won by 44 to 25. In a third box at Carmel Secondary, Ellis lost by 42 to 83 but won by 60 to 58 in a fourth. At a second box at St Stephen Primary, Ellis won by 59 to 19.
In 2016 Ferreira captured 1,070 votes when he won. There was a strong showing then by David Allicock of Team Benschop for Mayor who clinched 549 votes. David Williams of the PPP/C garnered 319 votes and Randolph Thorne, 184.
In New Amsterdam, PPP/C crossover candidate Esan Vanderstoop lost 107 to 125 to APNU candidate Othniel Blake in two stations.
At the All Saints Primary School and the Berbice High School, APNU’s Quacy Adrian Isaacs defeated James William Rodwell King 66 to 35 at one station and by 40 to 34 at another.
At Catherine Archer’s Residence, APNU’s Wainright McIntosh drubbed Juanita Burrowes 126 to 23 while the third candidate Kenroy Henry secured 31 votes.
At St Therese’s Primary School, APNU’s Kirk Fraser defeated the PPP’s Qwesi Joseph by 89 to 44, by 153 to 26 at Tutorial Academy Secondary and 57 to 38 at the Berbice Educational Institute.
Traditional
After APNU claimed wins in their traditional municipalities, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Bharrat Jagdeo last night said that it is likely that the party will win more constituencies in Georgetown than they would have in the past.
Despite no declaration from GECOM the major political parties have announced wins in their strongholds from preliminary results.
Jagdeo while speaking from Freedom House said the vote differential between the PPP/C and APNU in 2018 compared to now will be significantly different.
“The vote differential between the PPP/C and APNU in 2018 will be significantly smaller. So it means we will do extremely well in Georgetown…it is unbelievable for me…” Jagdeo asserted before pointing out that regardless of the results the PPP has demonstrated it is the only multiethnic party in the country.
It will be some consolation but the PPP/C had put on a major campaign with crossover candidates, glitzy campaign events and a packed schedule of meetings in a bid to finally clinch Georgetown. Not winning Georgetown or New Amsterdam would be seem as rebukes to the party considering the efforts put in. On Saturday President Irfaan Ali announced in New Amsterdam a lifting of all taxes on cellphones.
Up to press time there had been no official statement from APNU but party members who were privy to preliminary electoral results laid claim to winning towns that had been targeted by the PPP/C.
Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones in a Facebook post announced that APNU had won Georgetown, Linden and New Amsterdam.
Speaking hours after the polls would have closed, Jagdeo was cautious about a celebration. He noted the official declaration of results by the elections body is still to be made and a lot can change before arriving at the final Statements of Poll (SoPs).
“A lot can change based on the final copies of the SOPs… GECOM is still the final official entity that will declare the results. I am advised that nothing will change the overwhelming victory that the PPP has at these Local Government Elections,” Jagdeo iterated. The PPP/C is expected to take the lion’s share of NDCs where a large part of its rural base is located.
From the party’s preliminary count, it would have secured victories in approximately 65 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs) across the country. The Party contested all the LAAs and in some sections it was unopposed.
Speaking to the fact that they might not win the strongholds as targeted, the General Secretary hinted at conceding to official results in these areas when declared.
“I made clear too that it is very difficult to win the strongholds of another party but we will make a valiant attempt. We will wage a good campaign and we did and the results will be evident to everyone,” he stressed.
Jagdeo said that he is awaiting all SoPs from across the country and verify the results. He believes that they have made major inroads in Linden and New Amsterdam and from projections possibly tying in Bartica and Mahdia.
“Although they might be tied now because of winning the plurality of the votes we will win these areas… You have the plurality of the votes we won more votes than APNU in both areas from the preliminary results that came into us. These are towns that were controlled by APNU,” Jagdeo said.
“This is clearly a result that we had hoped we had get, we were working towards and it materialised . We are grateful to the tens of thousands of people who campaigned with us, backers to our list, candidates and who fiercely contested… and stayed on message of progress… right now we have to be contented with the wonderful results we believe we got out of these local government elections..,” he went on to state as he thank those who supported their campaign.
