GUYANA-GECOM seeking to announce election results on Saturday

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is expected to meet on Saturday to officially declare the results of the September 1 general and regional elections, after efforts to do so late on Friday night did not materialize.

The three opposition members on the GECOM – Charles Corbin, Desmond Trotman, and Vincent Alexander – were a no-show as a meeting called by the GECOM chairman, retired Justice Claudette Singh, at 11:00 pm (local time) to certify the election results.

GECOM announced on Friday night that it had completed the recounting of votes cast in sections of Districts/Regions Four and Five, clearing the way for the seven-member body to meet and possibly declare the winner of the general and regional elections.

GECOM spokeswoman Yolanda Ward said the results were being tabulated late Friday night, and after that process, Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud would prepare a report and present it to the Commission for its consideration.

The government-appointed member of the Commission, Sase Gunraj, said “barring any other move that could probably stop the process”, the declaration would be made Saturday night in keeping with Guyana’s Constitution.

He said that, for a declaration, the Constitution provides for the Commission to meet 24 hours later, at which any four commissioners, including the Chairman, could discuss the matter and make a decision.

Guntaj said he expects that a meeting will now be summoned for Saturday evening “at the same time and the same place as is contemplated by the Constitution for that purpose”.

After the declaration is made, a notification would be sent to the Chancellor of the Judiciary for ruling Progressive People’s Party/ Civic (PPP/C) says it has won at least 36 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly having received 242,498 votes as against 109,066 by its closest rivals, the newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) of controversial businessman, Azruddin Mohamed, with the APNU securing 77,928.

The Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) received 4,226 votes. In comparison, the Alliance For Change (AFC) garnered 3,610 votes, and the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) secured 969 votes, making them the other parties in the race.

President Irfaan Ali has dismissed the opposition demands for fresh general and regional elections as “nonsense” and ridiculous”, reiterating that the results declared by GECOM so far show they lost the elections.

“The life of this country is important. And the people continue to see who plays with the life of this country, who plays with the life of the citizens, who don’t care about the citizens and the development of this country,” Ali said as he paid a visit to GECOM’s headquarters on Friday.

Ali said that the PPP/C is committed to keeping the country “intact” and “safe” for a favourable investment climate, slamming the opposition’s actions as “playing games with (the) country’s life…the people’s life…(and]) the electoral process.

The incumbent said,” All of the electoral observation bodies said elections were free and fair. So what is the issue? ”.

In a three-page letter to the GECOM chair, Aubrey Norton, the APNU presidential candidate and leader, called on GECOM not to declare the results of Monday’s polls.

“Ultimately, APNU requests that you intervene immediately to direct the Commission not to declare the election results before the completion of a forensic audit of electoral data, including electors’ votes and/or order that fresh elections are now due, in light of the circumstances,” he said in the letter, which was copied to the memers of the national, regional and international observer groups.

Norton also wants GECOM to conduct a forensic audit of the elections, demanding that the entire 2025 election be aborted.

But in her response late Friday, the GECOM chairman dismissed the demand for her to scrap the results, saying there are legal procedures for “addressing concerns about the lawfulness of the election or its results.

“Therefore, any claims of widespread irregularities necessitating a forensic audit or the annulment of the elections, beyond the scope of the ongoing recounts, would fall under the purview of the High Court by way of an election petition,” she wrote.

The retired justice explained that Article 163 of the Constitution of Guyana explicitly stipulates that the High Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to determine whether any question, whether generally or in any particular place, the election was lawfully conducted or the result thereof has been or may have been affected by any unlawful act or omission.

“Once the recounts are completed and the CEO (chief elections officer) presents the final results to the Commission, any party aggrieved by the outcome will have the right to file an election petition to the High Court, in accordance with Article 163 of the Constitution. This is the constitutionally prescribed method for challenging election results and seeking redress for alleged irregularities that may have affected the outcome,” she wrote.

Singh said that the seven-member Commission was awaiting the outcome of the recounts in Districts 4 and 5, as requested by Norton, and that those recounts were being conducted in keeping with established electoral procedures and are crucial for the Chief Election Officer to ascertain the election results and present them to the Commission, as mandated by the Representation of the People Act.

She said that after the recount and declaration of the results, Norton could exercise his right under Article 163 of Guyana’s Constitution and file an election petition.

“The CEO’s role is to compile and present the results based on the declarations made by the respective returning officers, and to incorporate the findings of any legitimate recounts,” said the former High Court judge, who had declared the 1997 general and regional elections invalid after finding that the use of voter identification cards was unconstitutional.

The GECOM chairman stated that the Commission’s primary responsibility is to conduct elections in a free, fair, and transparent manner, while strictly adhering to the laws of Guyana.

She also sought to assure Norton that the Commission is committed to ensuring that the will of the people, as expressed through their votes, is accurately reflected in the final results.

“We urge all stakeholders to allow the established legal and procedural mechanisms to run their course,” she wrote.