…But Not if P.M. Can Help It
Dean Barrow
But if it were Prime Minister Dean Barrow making the decision on a potential recount, the answer would be no. The United Democratic Party leader made a two-pronged attack on the idea of any alteration to the results at the start of today’s press conference. One is that, as already noted by Elections and Boundaries, their hourly count is not representative of the total number of votes cast at any given hour as there may still be persons in the line voting. The other, says the Prime Minister, is that the P.U.P. signed off on the reconciliation of boxes and the final tally, meaning there is no changing the result now.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“There is a foolishness that the People’s United Party is putting abroad, suggesting that there could be some sort of challenge or some sort of a recount with respect to Danny’s victory and the victory of the United Democratic Party entire seven in San Pedro. As I understand it, talking to the chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, al that happened was that, at six o’clock, the returning officer submitted to the Elections and Boundaries office the total number of voters that had cast their ballots at that point. But we all know: you shut the gates as six, nobody else can come into the yard; but once you’re in the line, you vote. So the total number of votes actually cast, exceeded the figure that had been sent at six o’clock. When the P.U.P. lost – after having done the reconciliation and signed off on each reconciliation sheet and signed off on the final tally, when they realized they had lost – all of a sudden they hit on this bright idea, that the ballots tallied do not coincide with the number posted by Elections and Boundaries as having been the number of ballots cast. Again, that’s because the Elections and Boundaries Commission, posted the number of ballots that had been cast as of six p.m. – did not include the ballots cast thereafter, legitimately, by all those who were already in the line when the six o’clock hour came. But as I said, in any event, the P.U.P. – all their officials, all their counters, all their scrutineers – witnessed the counting of every ballot; signed off on the reconciliation sheet, signed off on everything. And so, ladies and gentlemen, Danny’s victory is a matter of record and a matter of history, and unalterable history.”
