The results following the election for the PNCR’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) experienced a delay in announcement since vote counting was only possible during the night. This was one of the main challenges cited today by the PNCR’s Returning Officer (RO), Vincent Alexander.
While key positions were swiftly announced on Sunday, June 30, including the re-election of Aubrey Norton as leader, the results for the fifteen-member CEC were not disclosed until today.
Speaking at a press conference held Friday morning, Alexander addressed the concerns surrounding the delay in announcing the other results of PNCR’s 22nd Biennial Delegates Congress.
Critics have raised concerns about the transparency and efficiency of the electoral process, given the delayed announcement of the CEC results. Alexander, however, defended the integrity of the process. He attributed the delay to logistical factors and procedural changes compared to previous congresses.
“On this occasion, the elections were centralized, and the counting took place in one place…,” he said. The RO explained that unlike in 2021, where voting and counting were decentralized across 11 locations, this year’s elections were centralized.
Added to that, he said the votes were counted over Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening. “The count actually took three days and during those three days, we worked essentially in the evenings because those of us, who are counting, are otherwise occupied during the day,” he added.
Another reason given by Alexander for the delay is that, “There were less hands involved on this occasion. We counted as fast as we could have in the time that we used to count…” When asked why there weren’t more persons to count ballots, Alexander responded, “I didn’t see the urgency.”
Moreover, the RO also stated that the number of persons who voted at this year’s congress was greater. According to the results presented by Alexander in 2021, 1,282 persons cast votes, representing a slightly decrease when compared to the 1300 persons who voted this year.
