Chief Elections Officer submits report to GECOM Chair pending announcement of results

Georgetown: Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield at noon on Saturday submitted his report to the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice (rt’d) Claudette Singh.

Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield (right) with Chairman of GECOM Justice (Rtd) Claudette Singh

Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward said “The Commissioners will receive copies shortly.”

The report should, according to the gazetted recount order, contain a tabulation of the recount of the ten (10) Electoral Districts together with a summary of the observation reports for each District.

The order states that the Commission will declare the winner three days after receiving the final report from the CEO.

The recount process concluded on June 9 with the certification of District Four results; the last ballot box was counted on June 7 after which the CEO had to prepare his report on or before June 13.

The seven-member Commission is expected to meet and deliberate on the report after which they will then determine whether it should request the Chief Elections Officer to use the data compiled as the basis of a final report.

Of the 460,352 valid votes cast, the incumbent A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) has won 217,920 and the People’s Progressive Party 233,336. The three ‘joinder’ parties- A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) and The New Movement (TNM) got a total of 5,214 votes.

Incoming CARICOM Chairman, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and the Organisation of American States (OAS) have called for the recount results to be used as the basis for a final declaration and installation of a legitimate government.