National COVID-19 Task Force says ‘no’ to more vote recount workstations

Last Updated on Thursday, 28 May 2020, 19:47 by Denis Chabrol

GECOM Commissioners and Secretariat Staff inspect the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

The National COVID-19 Task Force on Thursday turned down a request by the Guyana Elections Commission for more counting stations to be added to speed up the recount of remaining votes that were cast in general elections almost three months ago.

Government released a letter dated May 28, 2020 from Dr. Colin James, Coordinator of the Task Force’s Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) to GECOM Chair Justice Claudette Singh stating that, the Centre “cannot concede to the request for the installation and operation of additional workstation and increase in the number of persons to be in the ACCC during the period of Recount.”

James told Singh that the decision was taken after  the HEOC “diligently reviewed” its Reports dated 21st April 2020 and 15th May, 2020 submitted to GECOM.

The Commission had reportedly wanted at least two more workstations to be added to the 12.

The HEOC had already  approved two more workstations from the original 10.

The Task Force’s refusal of GECOM’s request for two additional counting stations coincided with the completion of recount of votes cast in Regions Three and Region Seven on Thursday. Regions One and Two have been already recounted.

Four workstations have now been assigned to count Region Four’s remaining 536 of the 879 boxes.