PSC sees "waste of time" in recounting votes from all regions

The Private Sector Commission which serves as a local observer group for the 2020 Elections, wants the Guyana Elections Commission to only recount the votes for Region 4 and not the other nine regions in its agreed recount process.

On Friday, the Elections Commission decided to recount all of the votes cast in the elections in all of the regions beginning with Region 1 and continuing to Region 10.

But in a surprising statement today, the PSC said it would be an entire waste of time to count all of the regions since it found “absolutely no evidence to suggest that the declaration of the election results was not credible and in compliance with the electoral laws in all the Districts except District 4.”

The PSC said its view is bolstered “by the fact that none of the several other international Observer Teams reported any irregular or unlawful conduct in respect of any other aspect of the electoral process other than the tabulation and declaration of the results of District 4 by Returning Officer Mingo”.

The PSC which also wants the recount to be broadcast on national tv claims that a countrywide recount with imposed travel restrictions because of the coronavirus, would be an almost insurmountable exercise “which, as we have pointed out, is entirely frivolous and unnecessary.”

“The PSC is, therefore, convinced that it would be an entire waste of time and wholly unnecessary for GECOM to conduct a recount of the ballots cast in any District other than District 4. The PSC holds that any request to extend the recount to Districts other than District 4 to be a deliberate, unreasonable and unacceptable attempt to delay the conclusion of the recount and urges GECOM to confine a recount to District 4”, the statement added.

But it was the same PSC that welcomed the initiative for CARICOM to overlook the recount process, and that initiative always made provisions for a recount of votes cast in all of the regions.

Just one day ago, the Chairman of the PSC, Captain Gerry Gouveia declared that there should be a recount of all votes cast.

“Plain and simple. Count every single vote in every single box in every single region in a transparent manner under the supervision of international and local observers”, Gouveia declared on Sunday.

Since then the Court of Appeal has ruled that GECOM must be in charge of the electoral process including the recount and must take on its responsibility.