GECOM must use credible evidence to pronounce on elections – former CCJ Judge Prof. Duke Pollard

DPI, Guyana, Thursday, June 11, 2020

As Guyana awaits a final declaration from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on the March 2 General and Regional Elections, Former Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice Professor Duke Pollard has stated that the Commission is bound to produce credible elections results.

In a report published today, Professor Pollard said GECOM cannot make a declaration if the information lacks integrity.

“If the information provided for the outcome is not credible, then the outcome itself could not be credible. GECOM is required to present a credible account of this recount process. It is strange to see how GECOM can give a credible report of the recount process if it is precluded from substantiating the integrity of the information.”

This he said would be “counterproductive.”

His remarks come as the elections commission awaits the summary report of Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield on the recently concluded national recount.

However, many of the observation reports are laden with instances of irregularities.

Those irregularities include illegal voting (dead and migrated voters) missing poll books, and unsigned Affidavits of Identity, OLE lists found in the wrong ballot boxes and the issues of the unstamped discipline services ballots and over 40 ballot boxes found to be without the necessary statutory documentation.

Notably, the gazetted Order outlines that the recount process has been entered into to authenticate the votes cast against the statutory documentation that was required to be in the ballot boxes.

Justice Pollard emphasised that “GECOM has the authority to ensure that the evidence they’re using as the basis for the report is credible.