The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) has called on election observer group Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) to retract claims about disenfranchisement of some electors in last week’s general election.
According to the ECJ the claims are false.
The commission’s position comes in the wake of claims that some CAFFE volunteers reported that on election day, when the polls closed, some voters were not allowed to cast their ballots.
CAFFE indicated that the claims are being investigated.
In a statement today, the ECJ said it met and considered the statement by CAFFE which implied that at 21 percent of polling stations, voters were turned away and not allowed to vote despite being in the line at the 5:00 P.M. close of polls on September 3.
The commission noted that, as has been done by Director of Elections Glasspole Brown, it too absolutely rejects this assertion as being false.
The ECJ said the claim tarnishes the result of the poll and the commissions reputation.
The commission said no such report was made by any Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) official, political party or accredited international observer.
It said despite a demand for proof of its assertion, CAFFE has reportedly failed to provide such proof.
The ECJ affirmed its commitment to conducting free and fair elections adding that its satisfied with the result of the election exercise conducted on September 3.
It also expressed gratitude to the political parties for their contribution to the peaceful election.
The commission said it requires and expects CAFFE to make a complete withdrawal of the statement that was placed in the public domain.
