—GECOM Secretariat to investigate; prepare report
The missing statutory documents from ballot boxes under review from several lower East Coast Demerara villages are “strange” and warrants an investigation, Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Commissioner Vincent Alexander said yesterday.
The Lower East Coast came under the microscope as early as Thursday, when counting agents involved in the national vote recount of the March 2, 2020, General and Regional elections began focusing on the Region Four ballots.
Agents found that a significant number of ballot boxes are missing very important documents needed to validate the votes. These include the Official List of Electors (OLE), Counterfoils, poll books, proxies and spoiled and unused ballots among others.
“What makes it even stranger is that it comes in a cluster. Some have argued that it may have been similar instances prior, but I do not recall a similar instance where there was absolutely nothing else than the ballots were in the box. We have this occurring cluster.”
Following the revelations, the commission set aside the affected ballots and has directed its Secretariat to carry out an investigation in this matter and provide a report.
Earlier Anil Nandlall, who is the PPP’s agent for the East Coast, told journalists that the documents are in the possession of the Region Four Returning Officer. However, Commissioner Alexander said this information was never relayed to the commission when the body met briefly today.
GECOM is meeting today on the issue.
