PPP/C-nominated Commissioner at the Guyana Elections Commission, Bibi Shadick has asserted that the nation should not be allowed to wait any longer for credible results of the March 2 General and Regional Elections to be officially declared.
Commissioner Shadick was responding to questions from the media in relation to Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield’s failure to submit his report of the verified results, based on the national recount, for the Commission’s perusal and subsequent declaration.
“We will follow the law; the nation can’t be waiting on the likes of Lowenfield,” Shadick fumed.
“This whole country is hurting and bleeding, and the likes of Lowenfield is going to stop this whole thing?” the Commissioner questioned.
CEO Lowenfield, today, flouted his constitutional responsibility which required him to submit his report of the results of the March 2, General and Regional Elections, as directed by the Chairperson of GECOM, Justice (Rtd) Claudette Singh.
A Notice of Motion was filed in the Court of Appeal and served on the Chairperson and CEO before 13:00hrs (which was the deadline for submission of the final elections report).
The Commission was expected to meet today after being is receipt of the CEO’s report and then proceed to make an official declaration, which would have paved the way for PPP/C’s Dr Irfaan Ali to be sworn in as Guyana’s ninth Executive President.
However, the Commission was unable to do so as the CEO did not submit his report, and there was also no quorum for the meeting to proceed.
The Chair subsequently adjourned the meeting to tomorrow (Friday) at 13:00 hrs.
But hours after, GECOM’s spokeswoman, Yolanda Ward, notified the media that the Commission will no longer be meeting at that time as planned due to the hearing of the Notice of Appeal which comes up tomorrow.
Government-aligned Commissioners Desomond Trotman and Charles Corbin were a no-show at today’s meeting and have not provided any plausible reason for being absent.
Results from the national recount show that the PPP/C has won the elections by over 15,000 votes and effectively ousting the APNU/AFC Coalition from the seat of power.
