Georgetown: The APNU/AFC coalition have expressed concerns about the credibility of the elections after being face with an inevitable defeat at the March 2 General and Regional Elections, but EU Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponz-Cantó, is of the view that the systems put in place during the elections were so robust that it was impossible to cheat.
However, the envoy noted that the only issue of credibility is what occurred at the Region Four tabulation in the Ashmins Building.
Describing the Election Day process, the Ambassador said: “It was quite impressive because when you are in one of those voting stations, you could see the agents from the different parties. You could see the presiding officers. You could see the members of the voting committee tables. And they were all extremely conscientious.”
Further, in giving a comparison he said some of what were in place at the polling stations in Guyana weren’t available in his home country of Spain.
He explained: “One person came to vote. He or she has to identify himself, but then also, he has to be seen on the list and there are pictures, which in my country, we never had pictures. So I was quite positively impressed. And everybody could see everything. And at the end of the vote, he has to dip his finger in ink, which in my country, we never did. So I mean, it was safeguard after safeguard after safeguard. It was impossible to cheat.”
Ponz-Cantó said that though he is personally not a professional observer, it is important to note that the observer missions, including the EU observer mission, were unanimous in their judgment on the Election Day process.
“And those guys are professionals. They know when things are going right or not,” he said.
But he pointed to issues arising out of the Region Four tabulation.
“We said it very clearly. This tabulation process for Region Four was not credible. It was not reflecting the will of the people. It had clearly followed a process which was not the right process. I saw it personally. I was there. I was in the tabulation centre (at Ashmins building).”
The Coalition has made objections to the process, and have claimed that the issues point to electoral fraud, which calls over 90,000 votes into question.
But the EU ambassador said that, while it is fair to make objections, a time will come for that.
“I think that there are mechanisms to address those questions in due course. It’s very legitimate that anybody can raise any objections, of course. But there are legal and sure means to deal with those objections in due course.”
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