PPP’s Nandlall accuses Alexander of attempts to scuttle recount

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IDPADA-G Chairman Vincent Alexander
Commissioner Vincent Alexander

Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) Executive Member Anil Nandlall, has lashed out at a Government-aligned Commissioner of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) over his alleged attempts to derail the recount process and called on the Chairperson Justice Claudette Singh to reject his illicit strategies being employed unconditionally.

Nandlall gave the stinging rebuke subsequent to public assertions made by Alexander on Thursday: that the Declarations of Elections Results for Regions One to 10, including the controversial declaration for Region Four, are all still lawful and valid, since they have not been set aside.

Alexander had told media operatives that it is only when new declarations are made that the existing declarations would be nullified.

Alexander had noted that even if Region Four were to be discounted as not legally made, then the others were, and “unless you have a process that supersedes that in its finality, then you cannot repeal what exists.”

He suggested that if the recount process yields new declarations for the March 2 General and Regional Elections, then those would supersede the ones already in existence.

The coalition Commissioner did not rule out the possibility of the existing declarations being used, and said, “Lord knows, they’re legal.”

But the PPP member has since rubbished these assertions made by Alexander, accusing him of employing certain tactics to scuttle the recount process.

PPP Attorney Anil Nandlall

The former top legal officer in the country reminded that Alexander had, a few days ago, publicly defended the Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield’s proposed 156 days plan for the elections recount.

Responding to Alexander’s defense of the declarations as legal, Nandlall reminded that “every international and local accredited observer team, all the political parties, the diplomatic community, CARICOM and the Governments of the ABC countries have all condemned it as fraudulent.”

He reminded that Alexander also wants to retain the fraudulent report prepared by Lowenfield to the Commission, which report contains Mingo’s fraudulent declarations.

Nandlall was adamant that “The singular reason for this decision is a recognition by GECOM that Mingo’s declaration stinks of fraud. It is this very reason why the Chairperson did not accept the report from Lowenfield and tossed it aside, because that report is tainted with Mingo’s fraudulent declarations.”

He said Alexander is not giving up, and is in fact now “hoping for some event to occur which would either prevent the recount from taking place, or if it takes place, rendering it a nullity, so that the status quo antes the recount will prevail.”

The Commission is meeting again today in another attempt to finalise details to have the recount process carried out.

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