Irregularities unearthed during recount to be dealt with by GECOM – Min. Ramjattan
DPI, Guyana, Saturday, May 9, 2020
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan says irregularities unearthed during the National Recount of the 2020 General and Regional Election will have to be dealt with by the Guyana Elections Commission, (GECOM), “even if it is to get it right for other elections.”
“…these are discrepancies that must find some determination by the constitutional body, why it is that this happened,” the Minister told the media outside of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre this afternoon.
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan
Some of the discrepancies could have affected the election, the minister observed. He said a better assessment of this will be known at the end of the recount of all the boxes.
“We should be very patient with the process; so that we can learn what happened in all those boxes. Then we are going to make an assessment as GECOM will, as the observers will, as the other political parties and stakeholders will.”
Commenting on the PPP’s criticism that the recount process is being “dragged out” by the APNU+AFC agents, the Public Security Minister noted the opposite.
“The process is becoming efficient as the persons involved get more proficient,” the minister observed. “The PPP wants this (recount) to be finished very quickly now that discrepancies are being found,” he added.
Minister Ramjattan noted that this is the nature of politics. “we are going to have, them making their claims and our team members are going to make their claims, with the GECOM officials determining all, and very reasonably so”
Over the past four days, several discrepancies were unearthed during the national recount process.
Among those were the absence of polling books in district 1 ballot boxes. There was also an instance, where a ballot was found to have the elector’s name on it. It was pointed out that the latter should be deemed a spoilt vote since it identifies the elector.
Reports were also made regarding votes cast by dead persons and those who have migrated.