GECOM cannot guarantee next-day declaration of official results

Last Updated on Thursday, 12 February 2015, 15:55 by GxMedia

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Thursday signaled that it could not guarantee next-day declaration of official results for the upcoming May 11 general and regional elections, but would strive to do so in the shortest possible time with the priority being on accuracy.

“GECOM would like to lucidly state that the delivery of accurate elections results remains one of the priorities of the Commission, and it will not be sacrificing its ability to deliver true and accurate results on the altar of expediency,” said the elections management authority.

Against the background of the remote location of several hinterland communities, GECOM assured that it would do everything possible to deliver timely and accurate results.

Following is the full text of a statement issued by the commission.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) wishes to strongly assert that notwithstanding its greatest desire to provide accurate results of the upcoming May 11 elections at the earliest possible time, it remains exceedingly cognizant of the existing logistical and other challenges it faces in doing so. In that regard, GECOM would like to encourage all Guyanese citizens to be very cautious and responsible and to carefully manage their expectations of the timely announcement of the May 11 elections result.

GECOM has noticed some reports in certain sections of the media suggesting that the 2015 elections results can mostly likely be declared the day after the polls. Please be advised that there exists a number of logistical challenges directly related to the geographic peculiarities that exist particularly in the hinterland areas. Similarly, there are a number of unforeseen circumstances which can or may occur that can have an adverse effect on the timely delivery of the elections results. Therefore, while GECOM will do its utmost to produce timely results, it will not do so at the expense of accuracy. 

GECOM would like to lucidly state that the delivery of accurate elections results remains one of the priorities of the Commission, and it will not be sacrificing its ability to deliver true and accurate results on the altar of expediency.

The electoral system to be used for the conduct of Elections 2015 will be the system of Proportional Representation, along with some elements of Geographical and Gender Representation. Guyana is one single constituency consisting of hundreds of thousands of electors responsible for the election of the President and the 65 members of the National Assembly. This means that in order for GECOM to arrive at accurate results, all votes from all the polling stations across the length and breadth of Guyana must be counted.

GECOM’s would like reiterate that one of its main priorities is to manage elections in Guyana, effectively and efficiently, guaranteeing that they are free, fair and transparent. At the same time, we are committed to ensuring the timely delivery of accurate results to the public. GECOM’s success has been confirmed time and again in previous elections, and the Commission intends to further maintain its stellar record of prudent and professional elections management during the May 11 elections.