During the Thursday morning opening of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the 2020 General and Regional Elections, Chairman of the CoI, Justice Stanley John explained that the commission is expected to entertain hearings from tomorrow and complete its findings by January of next year. An official report will then be handed to President, Irfaan Ali in March 2023.
Justice John explained that in making their findings, the commission will only regard evidence substantiated by credible findings.
The Chairman added that the commission will ensure that the report of the findings is fair to both sides of the political sphere. He further stressed that during the hearings, there will be “no claimant or defendant, or no prosecutor, or accused.”
“From any perspective, and by any standard, such an unprecedented state of affairs is serious enough to justify an objective and impartial inquiry into how and why it happened and what can be done to prevent or reduce the chance of any recurrence of these events,” the Chairman said.
“This is a serious and heavy responsibility. It is a responsibility that I, and my fellow commissioners, intend to discharge carefully with professionalism, efficiency, thoroughness, fairness, objectivity, and impartiality,” Justice John said.
He further stated that inquiries of this nature and subject matter should be carried out with the utmost care but as expeditiously as possible.
The Commission of Inquiry is anticipated to provide a foundation on which the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) can fix the current electoral system.
According to its Terms of Reference (ToR), the commission is intended to inquire into the counting of ballots, ascertaining and tabulating the votes polled, and the public declaration of those results by the returning officer of Electoral District No. 4 and other elections officers.
President Irfaan Ali a few months ago said the findings from the inquiry will also be used to hold persons accountable, especially if they are found to be involved in illegal activities.
