What’s Really Going On at Benque’s Elections & Boundaries Office?

Late last week, Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai made a rare public appearance to claim that an elections officer in Benque Viejo had been attacked and assaulted. The incident occurred long after working hours when P.U.P. campaigners got suspicious because the office was still open even though the doors were closed. That’s Tamai’s version, and today we got another from P.U.P. candidate in Cayo West Lesbia Guerra. She told us that indeed they were outside the office because they are convinced that there is something shady happening in the department. But where the assault is concerned, Guerra says that is a complete fabrication.

Lesbia Guerra

Lesbia Guerra, P.U.P. Candidate, Cayo West

“The elections officer that was stationed in Benque is saying that we attacked her physically and that was a blatant lie. We have videos from when we were expecting her to come out until when she was escorted to the Police vehicle, and there were four Police Officers present. We were not there to create any kind of disruption or to embarrass any of the officers there. That’s what she said but if she is doing her job why would she be embarrassed to come out and say what she is doing? Yet she went the following day to make a Police report stating that one of the persons present there actually attacked her physically. I mean you are being escorted by four Policeman. Why wasn’t the person that she is saying attacked her captured and taken to the Police Station that night? I feel that my constitutional rights have been violated. We all have the right to free and fair elections and if Elections and Boundaries office is opened beyond working hours then I think a notice should go out to the public. It should be fair and transparent. I consider this an election fraud. We don’t have evidence but people are seeing when pickup loads of people are being brought from across the border during the day, and my perception is that they may be working on registering the people. I questioned one of the Police Officers there present and he gave me some statements. I promised him I was going to protect him. He was telling me that a lot of paperwork is being done but he doesn’t understand the nature of it and he is afraid also that registering of electors is being carried out late at night.”