GEOCOM must explain anomalies

Stabroek News Report

Opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) this morning said it will not accept the elections results unless several anomalies in the process were explained by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Asked whether the party would accept GECOM’s results in the light of the concerns the party has raised about breaches in the electoral process, the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate Dr Rupert Roopnaraine said “APNU is not going to accept any results until these anomalies have been explained to us by GECOM.

Earlier, during the same press briefing at Congress Place, APNU’s presidential candidate David Granger said that his party was “profoundly disturbed by the undue influence being exercised by the PPP/C over GECOM and was not confident that any declaration by GECOM at this stage about the presidency of Guyana could have any legitimate basis.

“GECOM’s arrangements have already resulted in inordinate delays and vacillation in producing the results for the General and Regional elections.

“APNU wishes to make it clear that the requirements of the electoral laws were fully met when the Presiding Officers and the Polling Agents signed and posted their respective results outside each polling station,” he said. “APNU iterates that it will never, therefore, participate in any recount of votes,” he added.

“APNU has received no reports as to whether GECOM, as required by law, received Declarations of Polls signed by the Returning Officers. We call on GECOM to state specifically on what basis it intends to make a Declaration of Results,” Granger said. “APNU therefore is not confident that any declaration by GECOM at this stage about the presidency of Guyana can have a legitimate basis,” he continued.

“APNU categorically rejects any design or attempt by GECOM to retroactively legitimize the PPP/C’s presidential candidate Donald Ramotar’s presumptuous [facebook] declaration of himself as president,” Granger said.  “APNU’s supporters and all fair-minded Guyanese have become fed up with GECOM and the PPP/C’s machinations. They will, therefore, never endorse any subterfuge that seeks to endorse retroactively Ramotar’s declaration”, he added.