GECOM slated to meet on Sunday

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The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has decided to meet at 10:00hrs on Sunday to discuss the way forward following the unanimous decision handed down by the Court of Appeal.

The Appeal Court on Thursday unanimously dismissed the challenge filed by APNU/AFC supporter Misenga Jones who was seeking to overturn a ruling of the Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George who had determined, among other things, that the recount results must be used as the basis of the declaration of the winner of the March 2 polls.

Following the ruling, which has paved the way for the Elections Commission to finally make a declaration using the recount numbers, PPP/C General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo urged GECOM to urgently meet and make a declaration of the elections held more than four months ago.

GECOM has been unable to make a declaration because, among other things, the Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield has refused to submit his final elections report using the recount results as instructed by the GECOM Chair Justice Claudette Singh.

But the court has upheld the judgment that the CEO is not a lone ranger and is obligated to follow the instructions of the Commission.

The court also upheld the ruling of the Chief Justice that GECOM cannot resurrect the March 13 declarations by the ten Returning Officers since the national recount results have overtaken that process.

The recount results show that the PPP/C has won the elections with 233,336 votes.

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