The Attorneys in the vote recount appeal case will have to return to the Court of Appeal on Friday morning to make oral arguments. The Court is then likely to make a decision soon after.

The Attorneys were at the Court today to file their submissions. The applicant Ulita Moore is appealing the Full Court’s decision not to allow the hearing of a judicial review into the vote recount and to also dismiss the injunctions that were blocking that recount.

The Attorney for the PPP, Anil Nandlall told reporters after today’s brief hearing that the appeal before the Court is vexatious and frivolous with an expectation to stall the work of the Elections Commission. Nandlall said GECOM must continue with its work.

“They have stalled it enough and it is time that we conclude the elections and the rightful results be declared”, Nandlall said.

He noted that as the appeal case is ongoing, no stay of the full court ruling was sought or granted and therefore the Elections Commission ought to continue with the work that it has been doing and get the recount underway.

But Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde who is representing the interest of the applicant Ulita Moore said the Guyana Elections Commission ought to recognise that a case is before the Court and take note of that.

He said in the past, GECOM has awaited the decisions of the Court.

But in those instances, there were injunctions blocking GECOM from proceeding. There are no current injunctions against the Elections Commission. Still, Mr. Forde contends that his client has a right to appeal the Full Court’s ruling the same way the PPP had a right to appeal the ruling of the High Court.

“The Court system recognises further appeal, so why is it only when they obtain a victory at the Full Court, that the process and the statement made by the Chairman of the Elections Commission that she will await an outcome of the Court proceedings, how does that suddenly come to an end”, Forde said.

Earlier this week, the Full Court ruled that the Court has no jurisdiction to hear the case against the vote recount and therefore dismissed the injunctions that blocked the recount.

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