GECOM to await Court ruling before recount

DPI, Guyana, Friday, April 3, 2020

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) today indicated that it will be awaiting the ruling of the Court of Appeal before any further decisions will be taken in its plan to carry out the national recount of the March 2, votes.

In the Appellate Court today, Attorney Kim Kyte, who is representing GECOM’s Chairman Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh, informed parties and judges that the election body’s further decisions will be held back until the Court hands down its ruling.

Justice Dawn Gregory-Barnes indicated that the court will rule on Sunday, April 5, 2020.

The Court had asked Attorney Kyte to inform it of any developments at GECOM during the hearing, after an application for an interim order to GECOM, by Moore’s lawyer Roydale Forde was turned down.

GECOM today announced that it had voted to carry out the national recount of votes which was requested By His Excellency President David Granger on March 15. The Head of State had asked the Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley to organise the supervision of a national recount, to allay all misconceptions and doubts about the validity of the results, particularly for the Region Four, Demerara-Mahaica district.

That request was agreed to by the leader of the opposition Bharrat Jagdeo and led to the formulation of an Aide Memoire in this regard.

All preparations for the recount was however halted after an injunction was filed by private citizen Ulita Grace Moore in the high court. That injunction was thrown out by the Full Court and Moore, had since approached the Appellate Court to have the Application heard.

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