Hearing of Notice of Motion set for Friday
DPI, Guyana, Thursday, June 18, 2020
The Notice of Motion served on Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield preventing him from submitting his final report to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for deliberation will be heard tomorrow Friday, June 19 at 13:30 hours at the Court of Appeal.
GECOM’s PRO Yolanda Ward updated the media today, noting that the commission’s meeting which was scheduled for that time has been postponed.
The CEO, along with Commission’s Chair Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh was served by Court Marshals today, minutes before the CEO was expected to submit his final report to the seven-member commission at 13:00hrs.
The final report is expected to guide the Commission’s Chair towards a final declaration of the results of the March 2, General and Regional Elections.
Private citizen Eslyn David through Attorney Mayo Robinson, filed an injunction in the Court of Appeal today, to prevent the CEO and the Guyana Elections Commission from making a declaration of any results of the March 2 elections.
The court application says that GECOM has failed to act in accordance with the terms of the Order No. 60 of 2020 and the amended Order dated the 29th day of May 2020 and has failed to determine a final credible count and or the credibility of the result of the General and Regional Elections.
It seeks to also restrain the CEO from complying with the Direction of the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission as set out in a letter dated the 16th day of June 2020, to submit to the GECOM an Elections Report under Article 177 (2) ( b) of the Constitution of Guyana without the commission determining the final credible count and or the credibility of the General and Regional Elections.
The application is also asking that the CEO be restrained from submitting to GECOM, an Elections Report under Article 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution and Section 96 Chapter 1:03 of the Representation of the People’s Act (RPA), containing votes that are not credible within the meaning of Order No. 60 of 2020.
On Tuesday, Justice Singh instructed the CEO to prepare a report in accordance with Section 96 of the RPA and Chapter 177 (2) (b) of the Constitution, for the commission’s consideration before the declaration.
The APNU+AFC Coalition has however been steadfast in its belief that only votes proven to be credible should form the basis of an official declaration of the final results of the March 2, polls.
The CEO’s report which was submitted to the commission on Saturday for its consideration detailed what he surmised to be an election that was not credible. Lowenfield said the thousands of anomalies rendered over 200,000 votes invalid. Only 40 percent of the total votes cast were reported to have been untainted.
“The CEO cannot declare anything other than valid votes and in his determination of valid votes, we will wait to see those reports of the CEO reflected in the way those votes are tallied,” the Coalition’s Co-Campaign Manager Joseph Harmon stated in a televised statement.