APNU+AFC accuses GECOM of failing to act on evidence of voter impersonation during 2020 elections

Sep 14, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Opposition is accusing the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) of failing to act on evidence of voter impersonation during the March 2020 elections.

APNU+AFC Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs, Roysdale Forde, SC

The issue was raised during the weekly Press Conference hosted by the Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton.
During the Press Conference, APNU+AFC Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs, Roysdale Forde, SC, read the party’s statement in which he noted the reluctance by GECOM to look into the claims of voter fraud submitted by his party.

In reading the statement, Forde noted “…Since the initial responses from the Chief Immigration Officer, GECOM has mysteriously ceased to seek confirmation of the other hundreds of names submitted by the Coalition.”

“Even worse, Chairperson [Justice Claudette] Singh has declined to act on the irrefutable evidence of significant voter impersonation already in GECOM’s possession. This is a blatant dereliction of duty on her part. It provides further justification to our call for her to step down,” he added.

The Opposition official noted too the APNU+AFC has since requested copies from GECOM of all the correspondence from the Chief Immigration Officer.
“From what we have seen, thus far, voter impersonation in the March 2020 election seriously calls into question the validity of the election results…we demand that GECOM urgently submit all our submissions to the Guyana Police Force and the General Registry Office for verification. The Commission must then publicly release all the verification reports,” he added. Forde said too that the Coalition has taken note of the decision of GECOM to release to the Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, SC, documented evidence submitted by the APNU+AFC.

This development, the APNU+AFC member said, provides the party with the opportunity to inform the Guyanese public, civil society, and other stakeholders of several revelations that give credence to the claim that the 2020 elections were riddled with fraud committed by the PPP/C.

Leader of Opposition, Aubrey Norton

“It would be recalled that during the national recount of votes, the APNU+AFC had objected to the names of persons who were recorded as having voted but were out of the country on Election Day. Subsequently, the APNU+AFC submitted to the Elections Commission more than a thousand such cases of voter impersonation,” Forde said, adding that the Commission’s refusal to enquire into the matter, as well as the recent decision to accede to the Attorney General to release the information, raises several questions.

“Why would the Attorney General seek to meddle in matters that are subject to a petition hearing and, for that matter, a politically inspired COI? And why would he be interested only in the APNU+AFC submission and not also in the verification of that submission sent to GECOM by the Chief Immigration Officer?” Forde asked.
Forde also questioned the request and the reason provided by AG Nandlall for the document to be released to him.

He claimed too that the Chairperson Justice Claudette Singh’s decision to vote to release the material to the Attorney General, demonstrates again her refusal to act in a manner that is independent and impartial.

“Moreover, her vote to release the material whilst there is an ongoing Election Petition, in which these issues are before the Courts, is unacceptable and improper. Her total disregard even to appear neutral and professional makes her continued stint as GECOM Chair untenable. She must now resign,” the Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs added.
Meanwhile, Forde said that APNU+AFC will not support any public investigation into the credibility of the elections as the COI is ongoing.

“We note that the PPP/C government has sworn in a COI into the 2020 General and Regional Elections. We cannot support such a decision. The matter is before the court and should be dealt with through the Election Petition,” he said.

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