Preliminary poll results due today
PPP/C leading so far with 161,927 votes counted
Stabroek News
March 21, 2001
Chief Election Officer (ag), Gocool Boodoo, last night defended the
manner in which the results of Monday's elections were trickling in
from the Elections Commission, though this left fertile ground for the
contending parties to pump up the expectations of their supporters.
With 161,927 votes counted out of 419,146 in Regions Two, Three,
Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight and Ten, the PPP/Civic was leading with
89,186 votes, the PNC REFORM was next with 66,299 and GAP/WPA a
distant third with 1,978 votes. Boodoo did not announce results for
Regions One or Nine.
The slowness with which the results were being released prompted a
statement from the PNC REFORM expressing disappointment in the
commission's failure "to announce the preliminary results in a
timely manner." The party said this was the cause of "a
great deal of anxiety amongst the electorate.
"Moreover the manner of the presentation has made it difficult
for electors to relate the results as published at their respective
polling places with those they see on television."
It said that it was assessing the reports from its agents across the
country and while it had not received all the reports it "remains
very optimistic about the outcome. We therefore urge all Guyanese to
remain calm".
In a statement issued yesterday as well, the Guyana Public Service
Union, commenting on the tardiness with which the commission was
releasing the results warned that "if not remedied urgently, it
could lead to complete loss of confidence in the process and be a
cause of disorderliness and disturbances.
"If this occurs the GPSU will hold the Guyana Elections
Commission solely responsible for the consequences and untoward
events."
Boodoo told reporters last night at the commission's media centre at
the Hotel Tower that his office was taking pains to ensure that the
results it announced accurately reflected those submitted to him by
the returning officers from the ten regional constituencies.
He explained that one reason for the delay was the late submission of
statements of poll from Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six. Also,
he said that recounts had been demanded by the PPP/Civic at polling
stations at Parika/Lookout and Goed Fortuin in Region Three; Rosignol
and Bath, West Coast Berbice in Region Five and Belvedere in Region
Six.
These problems caused Boodoo to cancel press briefings at 8:00 am and
noon yesterday to, according to Hugh Cholmondeley, the media
consultant to the commission, concentrate on processing the results
from the ten districts and particularly those for Region Four which
includes Georgetown.
Cholmondeley also said that the commission's timetable for announcing
the unofficial preliminary results at 6:00 pm still held. However,
Boodoo said that this would now be pushed back to today with the
returns for Region Four expected to be submitted today.
Another problem which plagued the commission in getting the results
out, according to Cholmondeley, was the failure of the cell phone
system as a result of it being overloaded when the presiding officers
tried to report their results.
As a result, Cholmondeley said, with the statements of poll beginning
to arrive "thick and fast", Boodoo was concentrating on
getting out the results based on information from the statements of
poll.
Boodoo noted that the statements of poll had been posted up outside
the polling stations and the results were already in the public
domain. But he said that because of the requirements of the law, the
secretariat was required to ensure that the results reflected the
information submitted on the statements of poll.
Boodoo also said that Elections Commission Chairman, Major General
Joe Singh was concerned with the slowness with which the commission
was releasing the results to the public.
Cholmondeley also said last night that the results being transmitted
from the media centre would continue to be updated through the night
as the validated results were received from the commission.