The coalition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) is now questioning the credibility of the March 2 polls by pointing to discrepancies such as ‘dead’ and ‘migrated voters’ even after the party’s Presidential Candidate and supporters had already declared the elections credible and that David Granger should be sworn in.
In fact, APNU/AFC’s position now is to question the credibility of the Election Day process, even as the party maintains that the results are credible.
The conflicting positions came on Monday, as day six of the National Recount continued at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) venue, when APNU/AFC floor supervisor for the recount, Leonard Craig, in speaking to media operatives said the coalition agents had made note of a number of the anomalies during the voting process on Election Day.
He was at the time responding to concerns raised by People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, who on Monday lamented that the party’s agents had been fabricating allegations to attack the credibility of the voting process without substantiating some of the claims that were raised.
It should be noted that prior to this recount, the party—including President David Granger—had dubbed the elections free and fair.
Briefing media operatives on Monday, Craig insisted that on Election Day, “…our agents are not allowed to disturb the electoral process on the day so if you notice a person without ID came in to vote and they did not take an oath of identity, you can’t get up and say let this election stop now and these kinds of things. What you do, raise your objection, allow the process to continue and then you make a note.”
According to Craig, during the period that followed polling day, the reports from the APNU/AFC agents “were scanned with fine-tooth combs.”
It was noted, however, that these issues were not raised when the declarations were being made, nor were they raised prior to the commencement of the national recount.
Commissioner Gunraj had previously indicated that the two major parties—APNU/AFC and PPP/C—both had agents present at all Polling Stations.
Scrutineers serve the purpose of overseeing the voting process and raising objections to diversions from the process as required by law.
