GuyanaCourt Blocks Fraudulent Declaration of Election Results
The Supreme Court of Guyana on Sunday issued an injunction against the government-controlled Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), blocking its declaration of fraudulent results for the 2 March national election. After the opposition PPP amassed winning margins in most of the country, the tallying of the results of Region 4- Georgetown was suddenly “shut down” and a mysterious “spreadsheet” – adding 25,000 fraudulent votes - was read-out by appointees of the governing APNU party. The U.S., U.K., EU, and International Observers denounced the APNU spreadsheet as a clear “fraud” which substantially inflated ANPU votes to make-up for a loss in the election. They demand that the already-counted votes, from the remaining 400 polling sites in Region 4 – which give the PPP a victory - be tallied.
Roxane George-Wiltshire, the president of the Supreme Court of Guyana, on Sunday ruled that the court has jurisdiction to hear a request to block the declaration of fraudulent results of the general elections, held on 2 March 2020. Her ruling will be in effect until the approximately 400 remaining Statements of Poll (SOPs) are tallied in Region 4, that includes the capital Georgetown. The vote tallies were stopped after tallies showing the ruling Party for National Unity (APNU) losing the election to the opposition Peoples Progressive Party (PPP).
On Election night – 2 March - the actual votes were all counted at each of the 2,300 polling sites,and “certified” and signed by the poll inspectors at each site as a “Statement of Poll.” Copies of all SOPs were then posted on the doors of each polling site, photographed, and given to the election inspectors from both parties. All that remained for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was to “tally” the results from the 2,300 polling sites. This was completed on 3 March for nine of the ten regions — and for half the polling sites in Region 4 – until it became clear that APNU was losing the election.
Based upon the already certified results, and the public SOPs from the remaining sites in Region 4, the PPP defeated APNU in the election by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent. That translates into 34 seats for the PPP and 31 seats for APNU in the country’s 65-seat National Assembly. It also means the election of the PPP’s Dr. Irfaan Ali, as president.
But then APNU operatives “shut down” the GECOM tally and tried to falsify the results. GECOM Director Keith Lowenfield – an APNU appointee – disappeared for several hours, and then produced a fraudulent “spreadsheet” which added 25,000 votes to APNU’s total. That spreadsheet was then “proclaimed” by Clairmont Mingo, a mid-level APNU GECOM employee, and “certified” by Volda Lawrence, an APNU party leader.
The APNU attempt to steal the election was immediately denounced. Over 500 International Election Observers were present from the U.S., EU, CARICOM, OAS, and private sector organizations like the American Chamber of Commerce Guyana (AmCham), the Carter Center, and the Guyana Bar Association.
All these groups denounced APNU’s attempted “fraud.” The U.S. government warned APNU President David Granger not to try to swear himself in as President.
