Saying that he had never before seen such a transparent attempt to alter the result of an election, the Head of the OAS observer mission to the March 2 polls here, Bruce Golding today told the OAS Permanent Council that the recount has shown clear examples of the inflation of APNU+AFC figures by the District Four Returning Officer and a reduction of numbers for the opposition PPP/C.
Speaking at a virtual regular meeting today to present the preliminary report of the observer mission, the former Jamaican Prime Minister cited specific ballot box numbers to demonstrate the fixing of numbers by the District Four Returning Officer (RO) who he did not name.
[b][b]Citing District Four ballot box #40062, Golding told the council that the Statement of Poll (SoP) completed on the night of March 2nd showed 182 votes for APNU+AFC and 43 for the PPP/C. The District Four RO’s figure from a spreadsheet of unknown origin showed 292 votes for APNU+AFC and 33 for the PPP/C. Golding said that the Statement of Recount (SoR) from the process now underway shows 182 votes for APNU+AFC and 43 for the PPP/C – identical to the SoP but vastly different from the figures of the RO, Clairmont Mingo.
Golding said that in box #40063, according to the SoP, APNU+AFC got 15 votes and the PPP/C, 276. In Mingo’s spreadsheet, APNU+AFC got 85 votes and the PPP/C, 246 votes. The SoR shows 15 for APNU+AFC and 276 for the PPP/C – identical to the SoP.
