Recount results valid – Chief Justice rules

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Chief Justice Roxane George

Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George has ruled that Section 22 of the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act is constitutional as determined by a ruling of the Court of Appeal, effectively determining that it was lawful enact Order 60 of 2020, i.e. the recount order.

Further, the CJ ruled that the recount results arising out of Order 60 are valid as already decided by Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

Noting that the submissions by the applicant, Misenga Jones are “hopelessly flawed”, the CJ said the CCJ judgment came to the “ineluctable conclusion” that the recount votes are valid.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is seeking to make a declaration of the March 2 polls based on the certified recount results which shows that the PPP/C won the elections with 233,336 votes.

But the APNU/AFC Coalition is contending that the recount results are not valid. In fact, Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield has refused, on numerous occasions, to submit his final elections report using the recount figures – in direct defiance of instructions given to him by Chairwoman Justice Claudette Singh.

The CJ is currently issuing her judgment.

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