Recount delay concerns Polye

By BOURA GORUKILA
FORMER Kandep MP Don Polye has raised concerns about delays by the acting Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai in executing a Supreme Court decision ordering a judicial recount of the ballots for the Kandep Open elections of 2017.
“There has been a remarkable delay ever since the petition was brought to the court of disputed returns by me on behalf of the majority of electors of Kandep,” he said. “On Dec 21, 2020, the Supreme Court handed down a decision for the recount of the Kandep Open ballots to take place within a month, to have the recount completed by Jan 21 and have the results of the recount presented to the National Court on Feb 1, 2021.
“The Supreme Court order was then extended to have the recount results presented to the court on March 1, 2021, having accomplished the recount by Feb 26, 2021.
“Today is Feb 3 and calculating backwards from Feb 26, we have only 24 days to go, if you look at it, we have 22 days to go, taking into consideration the weekends.
“Time is very limited, the Supreme Court order is that the recount must be accomplished by Feb 26 and the Electoral Commissioner has failed to see the urgency of this court order.”
Polye said Sinai had failed to implement the order even though officers for the recount had been appointed and the venue selected.
“About two weeks ago, K6 million was released by the Department of Finance to the Electoral Commission for Sinai to execute the court orders to have the recount but up to now, as I speak, nothing has happened to transport the ballot boxes containing the Kandep ballot papers from Wabag where they are stored at the police station down to Kundiawa, the venue selected by the Electoral Commission for the recount, and there are only 22 days left now,” he said.
“Almost three months have been given to Sinai to effect the Supreme Court order, extensions have been given but to date, the ballot boxes are still sitting in Wabag.”
Polye called on Sinai to do his job diligently and efficiently as delays would be costly to parties involved.
Sitting MP Alfred Manase declined to comment when asked about the slip application he had filed.