PPP/C, AFC in imminent court showdown over Region 10 seat
Kaieteur News
November 26, 2006
The People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) are set for an epic court battle for a Region Ten seat that was allocated to the PPP/C by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) following the August 28 polls.
On November 10, the AFC caused an elections petition to be filed in the High Court, challenging the elections results.
The party is seeking a court ruling that it won a sixth Parliamentary seat which the ruling party now holds as a result of tabulation errors.
The court has not set a date for the commencement of hearings, but the PPP/C has stated its readiness to defend the Region Ten seat, which Prime Minister Samuel Hinds has been appointed to hold by the party.
The PPP/C has been silent on the AFC claims, stating that the matter was strictly in the hands of Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
But, last Friday, PPP/C General Secretary Donald Ramotar told the media that the party has been examining the AFC's claim and has evidence that suggests otherwise.
“We are of the view that the PPP/C has received more votes than the AFC in that Region. Our position is based on our records and on the official reports given to GECOM by its staff in Region Ten,” Ramotar stated.
He stated that for the AFC and some other “bandwaggoner's” to claim that they are entitled to a seat after such a long lapse must be treated with more than a “grain of salt.”
“This matter has been taken to the court and we are looking forward to our day in court,” Ramotar stated.
He pointed out that the Region Ten results were declared by the Clerk on behalf of the Returning Officer, who was ill at the time.
Ramotar stated that the declaration showed that the AFC received 3,166 votes, while the PPP/C obtained 3,189 votes and this was signed off by GECOM and all the political parties counting agents.
Ramotar stated that this was the basis for the oral declaration made on August 31 by the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Gocool Boodoo.
However, these results were subject to further changes and according to Ramotar this was done by the Returning Officer upon resumption of duties.
Ramotar stated that the new result showed that the AFC got 3,188 and the PPP/C 3,273.
He pointed out that the CEO during the first week of September wrote each contesting party informing them of the results and requested those parties that won seats to extract names from their respective lists for Parliament and for the Regional Democratic Councils (RDC).
The AFC through its Petitioner is asserting that in Region Ten, the party gained 3,321 votes as against 3,273 for the PPP/C, since the results from a number of polling places were omitted from the CEO's declared results.
“We reject the position that some of the boxes were not counted when the declaration was made,” Ramotar stated.
Based on a new tabulation of the results made by former GECOM Commissioner, Haslyn Parris, Opposition Leader Robert Corbin wrote the GECOM Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, pointing out that some discrepancies caused GECOM to allocate the Region Ten seat to the PPP/C.
Corbin also noted that the errors in tallying the results also denied the Justice For All Party (JFAP) a top-up seat, noting that the JFAP would have gained the seat from the AFC, which would have seen the latter retaining its five seats.
Corbin, in his letter, called on Dr. Surujbally to address the concerns, but GECOM has remained silent in the face of mounting pressure from opposition parties for a clarification.
Sources close to GECOM stated last week that the Commission may soon move to seek legal advice on recent approaches made by AFC and Corbin.
The sources stated that the Commission wants to know if there are any legal provisions to allow for a revision of the declared results, and if errors were recognised in the tabulation, whether GECOM could interfere with the seat allocation in Parliament, given that the results have been gazetted.
Sources further stated that the Commission may also seek legal advice on whether it could respond to the allegations, since elections petitions have been filed challenging the declared results.
The only official seat allocation in the 65-member Parliament announced by GECOM states that the PPP/C won 36 seats, PNCR-1G, 22 seats; AFC, five seats; GAP/ROAR and TUF, one seat each.