The March 2 elections can be easily concluded by completing the tabulation of the Region Four SoPs, which will take less than 24 hours. Alternatively, there exists a precedent for GECOM to issue the SoPs to a third party such as the EU or the PSC. The recounting of votes is therefore not necessary but this is where we find ourselves.
Only the Region Four votes need to be recounted but we will not oppose the recounting of all ten regions in the interest of removing doubt. Everything now hinges on the recount being done transparently and accurately. However, as we have seen the Chairman of GECOM, Claudette Singh, has voted down the motions put forward to enhance transparency. This can only mean one thing, that further attempts will be made by the riggers.
The transparency measures were meant to safeguard and instil much-needed confidence in the process after Mingo and company’s earlier attempts to rig the Region Four vote. Their removal is, therefore, definitive and it further confirms that the Chairman does not care about credibility and cannot be relied upon. In our opinion, the recount is being set up to fail. All GECOM needs to do is revert to their usual self-imposed delays so that the observers are frustrated into leaving.
The riggers would then take over which is why live streaming had to be voted down. Guyana is, therefore, on the precipice and in this hour of need, we are appealing to ABCEU and the international community to remain present for the entire recount even if that means staggering or rotating the schedule of the observer missions. We fear that if the international community is not present, APNU/AFC in collaboration with GECOM will proceed to steal the elections.
Alternatively, ABCEU can deploy more tangible and direct measures against the riggers to stop them in their tracks before this spirals out of control.
