07/03/2020
WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED IN REGION 4 WITH THE SOPs
(Please read so you will know what exactly happened)
There are 879 polling stations in Region 4. After voting closes and ballots are counted, the results are summarized on a standard document - is this called the Statement of Polls (SOP). The sum of electors on these 879 SOPs total 285K electors, the largest for any region in Guyana.
When polls close, the presiding officer along with each political party representatives will count the votes, tally and prepare the SOP. Each political party is given a copy of the SOP, one is printed and posted on the polling station, 2 copies are prepared and put into separate envelopes, sealed with GECOM official seal and the political party seals.
Of the two SOPs that are in sealed envelopes, one is for the Returning Officer (RO) and one is for GECOM’s CEO. The RO for Region 4 having received all of the individual SOPs must disclosed the totals in a open verification process, as per the law. This is where each of the 879 sealed envelopes will be opened in the presence of the political agents and observers. The tallies will be called out loudly and each political party will used their copy to make sure it matches what is being called out. When all the SOPs are verified by everyone, a grand total for the region is tabulated and the numbers are declared for each party. The final step here is those numbers will be verbally declared (called the declaration) and a written copy is submitted to the CEO of GECOM. When the GECOM CEO receives all 10 regional declaration, he will then tabulate them to derive to totals for the entire country.
(Note: All of this information is available to the public in the relevant laws and in the GECOM operation manuals).
HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED IN REGION 4
GECOM started to verify the SOPs, it finished 349, therefore 530 remains. GECOM refuses the verify the remaining SOPs. Multiple tactics was used including shutting down the verification process, refusing to use the SOPs to verify the numbers and instead wanting to use some spreadsheet with numbers it came up with from nowhere. Observers stayed in the building for days and nights and GECOM continues to give excuses for why the verification cannot continue. For example, staff sick, staff tired, can’t find other staffs to work, etc. On every turn, party agents objected to the process and requested for it to be done as the law stipulates. After about two days of doing nothing, the RO (the gentleman that was not well) showed up with a declaration already prepared without verifying the remaining 530 SOPs. So where did the numbers come from? No one knows? The totals on the declarations are also widely different based on tabulations from copies of the SOPs made publicly by the PPP/C.
Based on the tabulation of the numbers from copies of the SOPs provided by the PPP/C and available to all on the internet, the numbers suggests PPP lost Region 4 by around 35K votes. However, when you add all the surpluses that the PPP/C won in the other regions (as declared by GECOM; this too is public knowledge), PPP/C appears to be the frontrunner with about 18K votes more than APNU. Let me be clear, these numbers are not the official numbers, they are based on publicly available information. GECOM is the only body authorized to verify and announce the results. No political party can announce or declare results.
So the question here is, why is GECOM refusing to verify these numbers openly in the presence of everyone? If you believe the acts describe above by GECOM are brazen and bold, then you are correct it was exactly that. Observers and agents were threatened with bomb scare and with rescinding of their accreditation. These tactics were intended to get people of out building which would have left the SOPs without 24x7 security which is necessary to ensure there is always custody until they are verified. The refusal to verify the SOPs and all the tactics GECOM use was done in the presents of the US, UK, EU, Commonwealth, AmCham, GCCI, PSC, Bar Association observers plus all the political agents.
If you didn’t know, now you know! So decide with your own conscious, regardless of which party you support, whether this is lawful and consistent with free and fair elections.
Disclosure: The content shared above doesn’t not reflect the views or any organization except those of the author.
