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Guyana Bar Association Urges Elections Commission To Ensure Election Results Can Withstand International Scrutiny

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, March 9, 2020 (CMC) – The Bar Association of Guyana is calling on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), to ensure that all necessary steps are taken, so that the results of last Monday’s elections can withstand local and international scrutiny, before making any declaration, as required by law.

In a statement, the group, which represents attorneys in Guyana, said it joins international observers and the ABCE Diplomats, “in asserting that there can be no lawful declaration of results of the General and Regional Elections, until all legal requirements have been complied with, by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), to ensure transparency and credibility of those results”.

Last Thursday, the main opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) was granted an injunction, blocking the Elections Commission from making a final declaration of the results for Region 4, without a final verification of the results.

Regional 4 includes the capital, Georgetown, and is the largest polling district in the country, with 285,618 registered voters.

GECOM moved to the High Court to have the injunction dismissed, but the Chief Justice ruled, yesterday, that she has jurisdiction to hear the injunction, and scheduled the case to start from tomorrow at 3pm.

The Bar Association of Guyana, which was an accredited local observer for the elections, noted that, up to and including the voting process, it was found that the elections were free, fair and transparent.

Meanwhile, the Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission, who were nominated by the PPP/C, have objected to a request, by GECOM Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, for a meeting of the Commission to be convened, for him to hand in his final report on the elections.

That final report is expected to contain the results of the elections, from the Returning Officers of the polls from the 10 regions across Guyana.

In a statement, late Saturday, PPP/C-nominated Commissioners, Robeson Benn, Bibi Shadick and Sase Gunraj, said they will not be attending any meeting to receive the report, if it is convened by the Chair of the Elections Commission, while an injunction remains in place, blocking the final declaration.

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