Published On: Wednesday, February 17, 2010
1:53am We can confirm that Dr Sands will not be declaring victory tonight/this morning.
1:01am. The PLP have reportedly entered the building with their Election Court challenge in hand. They are presumably about to serve it on the FNM.
12:53. The counting is FINALLY over. The FNM's Dr Duane Sands is up by TWO votes over the PLP's Ryan Pinder after two days of recounts. Not sure yet if any election court challenge is going to be filed.
12:12am Our sources tell us they're almost done with the last box of ballots.
12.04am. The PLP claims they have finished recounting Polling Division 12 and there has been no change. Duane Sands is up by two. No word from the FNM yet.
11.45. Rumours have been circulating that in addition to the five protest ballots, there are three that are still being contested. It is claimed that all eight have been cast for Ryan Pinder. Protest ballots are votes that were cast by persons with voters’ cards who were not on the register. According to the rumours, the other three in question broke the rules in some way. In one case the voter used his election thumb ink to make an 'x' in the box, in the second the voter wrote 'Pinder' in the box and in the third, the voter wrote 'Ryan Pinder'. However, according to FNM operatives these claims are nonsense and merely part of the PLP's stalling tactics. They said that after the recount, the matter must go before an Election Court as the ballot boxes cannot be reopened.
11:38pm. Still no word on the recount of the final Polling Division.
10:55pm Ballot box for Polling Division #12 has just been opened and the recount is starting.
10:28pm Ryan Pinder just showed up. FNM's are cheering at the news that Sands is still ahead by two with just division #12 to be recounted.
10:20pm Just one ballot box left to be counted. Some involved in the process don't expect it to take very long, but not likely to have a result before midnight. We understand Ryan Pinder hasn't been seen at Thelma Gibson in a while.
10.15pm. The results of the recount of Polling Division 11 are:
PLP: 164, FNM: 122 - No change from the original count.
10.10pm. We just received an unconfirmed report that the recount of Polling Division 11 is complete. Duane Sands is still up by two votes.
10pm. The crowd has thinned out considerably as most of the FNM supporters have made their way to the party's headquarters on Prince Charles Drive. The vast majority of those who remain are PLP supporters. The scene is also much calmer than it was an hour ago. Still no word about the progress of the recount of Polling Division 11.
9:33pm We've just been able to ascertain the FNM team of lawyers inside the recount room tonight. Diane Stewart; Cathy Hassan; Dion Foulkes; Michael Foulkes (subbing for Carl Bethel). Charles Maynard is part of their scrutiny team as well.
9:25pm. PLP leader Perry Christie has asked all supporters to remain calm. He told them not to be disheartened no matter what the outcome of the recount, as the protest ballots can still affect the final result.
9:05pm. The Central Detective Unit has warned the FNM that they expect trouble from some elements in Elizabeth and advised that they relocate supporters to the FNM constituency headquarters on Prince Charles Drive. So far, women and the elderly have left. Police presence is being increased and a careful watch placed on cars bearing FNM paraphernalia,  as police fear they may be targetted by vandals.
8:48pm. The list of PLP lawyers in the room is growing. Melanie Griffith. Damien Gomez. Philip 'Brave' Davis. Ken Dorsett. Keod Smith. Valentine Grimes. And many, many more.
8:23pm. Things are getting a bit wild. As PLP candidate Ryan Pinder exited the building, FNM supporters began singing the American national anthem. Now there is a screaming match going on between the two groups of supporters. The police have stepped in to separate them and have brought in additional barriers. They have stationed five more officers along the barriers. Meanwhile, DPM Brent Symonette can be seen among the FNM supporters attempting to restore calm.
8:20pm. FNM supporters who make up the majority of the 300-400 strong crowd out here, began to sing the national anthem as Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette and candidate Duane Sands emerged from the building.
8:17pm. When the news broke that the FNM had retained its two vote lead after the recount of division 10, the party's supporters erupted into cheers and applause. The PLP camp was described by one witness as "deathly silent".
8:09pm. Polling Division #10 is in. There was no change in the results. So Dr Duane Sands is still up by 2 votes. The results for #10 are: PLP 168; FNM 130; BDM 0; NDP 0; Workers' Party 0.
7:35pm Back to that ZNS interview. Seems although DPM Symonette and Dr Nottage were shaking hands and chatting amicably before the interview started, their supporters crowded around them weren't so comfortable being in such close proximity. The tension was mounting and so Superintendent Paul Rolle who's been key in crowd control all day says it was either eliminate the supporters from the live shot altogether or cancel the interview.
7:26pm The PLP presence in that recount room has increased. We understand they got the BDM's Cassius Stuart to sign off and give them the spots reserved for his representatives during the recount process.
7:10pm DPM Brent
Symonette and PLP representative Dr BJ Nottage were just interviewed in
the same live shot on ZNS tv. Well. ZNS initially asked Symonette and
PLP Leader Perry Christie to do the interview. But we understand
Christie refused because Symonette isn't the FNM's leader. So then it
was agreed they'd do separate interviews in different live drops. Party
supporters crowded behind each man until police told them they had to
move. Police seem determined to put a stop to any rowing between groups
before it gets started. At some point it was decided that Perry
Christie wouldn't be interviewed at all and even though BJ isn't the
PLP's Deputy leader, he and Symonette were interviewed together.
7pm. PLP leader Perry Christie claims that in the presence of Cabinet Ministers, returning officer Jack Thompson is being intimidated into making decisions that are not in accordance with precedents established in prior elections. He called this "One of the greatest abuses of power." Mr Christie said the only way to remedy the situation is to take it to Election Court. He added that if the final count plus the protested votes would add up to a PLP win, the party plans to take the matter to court anyway. He noted that if the PLP informs the returning officer in writing of their intention to take the matter to Election Court, he cannot officially certify the results.
6.55pm. Perry Christie has just complained to The Tribune that he was not sick last night, and that the Punch printed "blatant lies" about him.
6.24pm. It seems that all of a sudden, Rodney Moncur has become a very important player in this election. The defeated Workers' Party candidate has contacted The Tribune to say the PLP are "harassing" him about who is authorised to represent his interests in the recount room.  Mr Moncur believes that because each party is limited to a certain number of representatives at the count, the PLP wants to use him to get more of their operatives in "to row". He said that he has advised both the FNM and the PLP in writing that he is happy for either to represent him at the count. He added: "Whoever wants to represent me can do so. I have nothing but love in my heart. And as far as I am concerned both Dr Sands and that American who gave up his citizenship are disqualified anyway."
6.10pm. FNM election agents say that if everything goes smoothly, the recount could be complete by midnight. However, operatives on both sides say Polling Divisions 10, 11 and 12 are set to be the most contentious, so we could be in for a long night again.
5.55pm. Right man, wrong team? Duane Sands was just seen shaking hands and chatting with PLP T-shirt wearing supporters. They told him they love him, but he's in the wrong camp. Meanwhile, the FNM camp supporters were singing the chorus of "Victory is Mine" after their candidate's biggest lead of the day was established.
5.50pm. PLP chairman Bradley Roberts has just shared a different perspective on the "Laura Incident" – She was the victim. According to Roberts, Laura's story is that DPM Brent Symonette pushed her first.
5.45pm. Addressing supporters about the long fight over Polling Division #9, Dr Sands said: "We want to defend this great democracy. So we are going to great lengths to give the Bahamian people justice." He explained to The Tribune that the vote which Ryan Pinder eventually lost was smudged and that the PLP had been arguing that it should count despite the fact that numerous other ballots have already been thrown out for the same reason. Eventually, the FNM's position prevailed.
5.30pm.  Cheers broke out among FNM supporters as Duane Sands emerged from Thelma Gibson to address them. He told the crowd that his team in the room is making sure the process is fair and honest. The Tribune can now reveal the official OFFICIAL results for the recount of Polling Division #9: PLP: 85 (down from 86), FNM: 85, BDM: 11, NDP: 6, Workers' Party: 2.
This puts the FNM's Duane Sands up by two votes.
5:00pm. We just spoke with PLP Leader Perry Christie about the confusion over polling division #9. He explained that they were almost done counting the votes in that ballot box when a legal dispute arose and that's why all those high powered lawyers were called in.
4:51pm. We have the inside scoop. Literally. Inside the recount room, the PLP has Wayne Munroe, Brave Davis, Damian Gomez and Valentine Grimes. The FNM has Desmond Bannister, Cathy Hassan, Carl Bethel and Dion Foulkes. Both sides are desperately fighting to make sure their candidate comes out ahead. Each side has another 10 lawyers waiting outside to tag in if necessary.
4.40pm. FNM deputy leader Brent Symonette said that despite the "official" reports from the PLP election agents, the final decision on the disputed vote for Ryan Pinder in Polling Division #9 has not been resolved. They have not finished counting this, so as of right now, Duane Sands is still up by one vote.
4.35pm. The police have closed the gates of Thelma Gibson and say they are not allowing any more supporters in tonight. PLP leader Perry Christie has now arrived.
4.30pm. Official results for the recount of Polling Division #9:
PLP: 87 (up from 86), FNM: 85, BDM: 11, NDP: 6, Workers' Party: 2.
4.18pm. A PLP election agent just came out and announced that the recount of Polling Division #9 is complete and that the count is once again a tie. It is not yet clear if the FNM lost a vote or the PLP gained one.
4.10pm. The PLP supporters on the scene, including Laura Williams, are unusually subdued this afternoon.
4pm. PLP supporters are complaining that some police officers on the scene have "bad attitudes". They said the officers are making it difficult for them to move in and out of the school yard, and that they were not allowed to bring in a truck with a table on it.
3.25pm. Due to the interest in the matter expressed by online readers, we just asked Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette about the 'Laura Incident'.
Asked why he did not have the PLP supporter who allegedly pushed him in the back arrested on the spot, and why he declined to press charges, Mr Symonette said that considering the emotionally charged context in which the incident occurred, he decided to take the higher road. He said that at no time did he feel in any danger, as about 30 police offers were at hand, but added that considering the heated nature of the situation – in which abuse and racial slurs were hurled at him – he decided that instructing the police to take action would have had a destabilising effect. The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that some in the crowd were accusing him of being above the law, therefore he did not want to give the police any instructions and risk being accused of abusing his position.
3:07pm. If you're driving around in Elizabeth, the only way you'll see Dr Duane Sands' face is if you actually bump into him. Tuesday night, FNM Leader Hubert Ingraham announced that they would remove all the election paraphernalia now that the election was over. Well this afternoon, there are no FNM campaign posters up. The party has removed them all, saying they have kept their word to respect the residents of Elizabeth. Some PLP's are claiming the removal of the posters is a sign of defeat.
2.40pm. About 50 supporters from each of the two major parties are outside Thelma Gibson Primary School standing vigil over the count. The crowd is much more subdued than yesterday.
2:25pm. The boxes of ballots have arrived back at Thelma Gibson and the election recount of polling divisions 9, 10, 11, and 12 is officially underway.
1:13pm About 45 minutes before the election officials and representatives from the FNM and PLP are due to get underway with counting boxes 9, 10, 11 & 12. We
got some insight into what was actually going on in that recount room
overnight. The three party officials scrutinising votes for the PLP
were Deputy Leader Philip 'Brave' Davis, Valentine Grimes and Glenys
Hanna Martin. They kept a team of PLP lawyers onhand to rotate in when
needed. They included Keod Smith, Hope Strachan and Raynard Rigby. The
FNM had Chairman Carl Bethel, Senator Dion Foulkes and Mount Moriah MP
Tommy Turnquest in the room and Charles Maynard occasionally came in to
help make certain arguments. The tension mounted throughout the evening
as participants grew more weary. The whole process has been described
like an intense chess match.
1pm. The PLP's Valentine Grimes said the vote which Ryan Pinder gained in the recount of Division #6 had been originally thrown out because the voter made his or her mark on the PLP symbol next to the box, instead of inside the box. During the recount, both sides eventually agreed that the voter's intention was clear.
12.50pm. Here are the final results of the recounts for Polling Divisions 6, 7 and 8.
Polling Division #6: PLP: 122 (up from 121), FNM: 157, BDM: 9, NDP: 11, Workers' Party: 1.
This left the PLP and FNM tied.
Polling Division #7: PLP: 129, FNM 124 (up from 123), BDM: 2, NDP: 2, Workers' Party: 1.
This left the FNM up by one vote.
Polling Division #8: PLP: 106, FNM: 129, BDM: 9, NDP: 5, Workers' Party 3.
The results of this box were unchanged from the original count.
As it stands now, the FNM's Duane Sands is leading the recount by one vote after briefly being tied with the PLP's Ryan Pinder.
12.33pm. PLP lawyer Valentine Grimes expressed concern over the security of the ballot boxes. He said a PLP agent who, along with his FNM counterpart, accompanied the boxes to Police Headquarters on election night, claimed that the next morning there were less seals on the Polling Division #8 box. However, Parliamentary Commissioner Errol Bethel said he didn't know anything about that. Mr Grimes said the PLP are reviewing their legal options.
11.12am. The final results of the Polling Division #6 recount: The PLP's Ryan Pinder gained one vote to go from a tally of 121 votes to 122. The FNM's Duane Sands remained at 157. This brought the total count for all divisions to a tie.
11.08am. It has been confirmed that when the recount teams broke, the ballot boxes were sealed and taken to Police Headquarters on East Street.
10.42am. Party operatives from both sides are reluctantly admitting that Election Court may be the only way to identify a clear winner in the Elizabeth by-election. They say that in the end, it will probably come down to the protest ballots, which can only be counted if verified by the court.
10.30am. The recount teams have decided to break until 2pm. Everyone has left Thelma Gibson aside from a handful of retirees, who continue to argue politics good humoredly. The Tribune is in the process of confirming the final counts for Polling Divisions 6, 7 and 8 and should be able to post them shortly.
8:15am. We've just received Polling Division 8 recount results and Dr Duane Sands is still holding on to his one point lead over Ryan Pinder. Four more polling divisions to be recounted. After going at this recount for more than 24 hours solid at this point, we understand everyone is tired, running on fumes, and getting a bit testy and edgy so they've agreed to take a break to at least allow everyone time to go home and get a shower. They're deciding how long the break will be right now and what time they'll start up again. We'll let you know as soon as we find out.
4:30am Polling Division 7 is done and the FNM's Dr Duane Sands is back in the lead by one vote. Just over the halfway mark into this recount now.
1:06am The FNM's Dr Duane Sands and the PLP's Ryan Pinder are now tied after Polling Division #6 has been counted. Pinder gained a vote in the recount. It's still taking a good 2 hours plus some to get through each polling division and we understand the count of polling division #7 has not yet begun. An update on the weather we reported earlier. The Met office now expects it to dip to 54 degrees here in the capital overnight.
12:45am The recount of polling division #6 continues at this hour. No word on how much longer before those results are certified and announced.
12:02am We've been at this since 8am Tuesday morning, but if we get any updates throughout the night, we'll post them for you. Otherwise, we'll be back, recharged tomorrow morning to keep you notified of what's happening on Day 2 of the Elizabeth Recount.
11:45pm @ Thelma Gibson. The recount for polling Division #6 continues. No word yet on how the count is progressing. There are only a few supporters and party officials out here now. They are huddled in corners and obviously very cold.
10:30pm @ Thelma Gibson. FNM chairman Carl Bethel told The Tribune that at the rate the recount is going, he expects it to continue for another 24 hours. Mr Bethel is part of the FNM's three-man team in the recount room. The other two are Mount Moriah MP Tommy Turnquest and Senator Dion Foulkes. Asked if the men would be relieved by other party officials, Mr Bethel said they have been replaced at the counting table for short periods, but that they are prepared to see it through until the end. He said a combination of adrenaline, commitment and determination is keeping them going.
10:44pm Polling Division #5 has been recounted now. The PLP's Ryan Pinder gained an extra vote, shrinking the FNM's Dr Duane Sands' victory back to the original 1 vote. The results for Polling Division #5 are now: FNM 106; PLP 63; BDM 0; NDP 0; Workers' Party 0. The vote that Pinder gained had been rejected yesterday because the voter wrote a letter of the alphabet on the ballot. The PLP's legal team successfully argued that the ballot should be allowed to be counted despite the marking.
10:10pm Fourteen hours into the recount process, they're not even halfway through. The FNM's Carmichael MP Desmond Bannister has told us that he does not expect the recount to be completed before tomorrow night. Despite this, there's a festive crowd of about 200 FNM and PLP supporters still gathered outside Thelma Gibson Primary School this evening. They're eating, drinking and talking with one another.
9:32pm Here's what we know. Although we were able to get the count for Polling Division #4 in order to publish it just before 7pm, lawyers for one of the sides were refusing to sign off on the results and continued to argue. That's what caused this 2+ hour delay in getting to #5.
9:10pm The results for Polling #4 came in more than 2 hours ago but we've just learned that they have only JUST started counting polling division #5. No word on what they've been doing the past 2 hours.
8:00pm The FNM says there's a lot of grandstanding going on inside the recount room. We understand the PLP's Keod Smith and one of the FNM lawyers got into an argument and the FNM is accusing the PLP of sending Smith in simply to stir up trouble.
7:45pm There is a cold front lingering across The Bahamas tonight and the temperature is expected to dip to 57 degrees. PLP Leader Perry Christie, Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell and a few other senior PLP's are huddled in Christie's jeep to avoid the cold and outside Thelma Gibson, the crowd of FNM and PLP supporters is starting to thin... there are a few stalwarts from each side huddling together to stay warm.
6:51pm The process is speeding up a bit. Polling Division #4 is now completed. The only change is that Dr Duane Sands lost a vote . The results for polling division #4 are: FNM 187; PLP 164; NDP 9; BDM 6; Workers' Party 3. Sands' margin of victory with 8 polling divisions yet to be recounted is 2 votes.
6:30pm @ Thelma Gibson. According to Mr Grimes the result will probably have to be decided by Election Court, as there are disagreements about several ballots. He said the PLP feels the votes counted so far have not established a wide enough margin to declare a clear winner.
6:10pm Valentine Grimes explained that the two votes thrown out during the recount of polling division number three were rejected because the voters used their inky thumbs to make their mark, instead of the pens provided. Mr Grimes said he does not expect the recount to be finished until tomorrow morning, as this is what happened in the last recount he was involved with.
6:05pm PLP stalwart Valentine Grimes said his party is objecting to Mount Moriah MP Tommy Turnquest's presence in the recount room as part of the FNM's scrutiny team, on the grounds that he is the government minister in charge of elections. The PLP feels this is a conflict of interest. Turnquest has been a part of the FNM's scrutiny team since the process began at 8 this morning.
5.45pm @ Thelma Gibson. PLP MP Bernard Nottage said it is not unusual for a recount to take this long. He noted that during the first count, all the polling divisions are counted simultaneously, whereas during a recount they are counted individually.
5:20pm @ Thelma Gibson. FNM chairman Carl Bethel said that despite counting only two polling divisions so far, the process should start to move more smoothly as the ground rules have now been set. He said: "Issues that could have been contentious and were in fact contentious early this morning, as similar incidents arise the principles governing the interpretation have already been set, so it should move a lot faster.”
4:55pm Ryan Pinder emerged from re-count room to cheers from PLP supporters. He was immediately swarmed by onlookers who hugged and held on to him. He refused interviews with the media, dismissing a ZNS reporter. Supporters called him Ryan the Lion. They said the FNM is red and scared.
4.53 Duane Sands emerged from re-count room to applause from FNM onlookers. They gathered around him while he made a short statement about the outcome of the polling division three recount. He said: "It is not nerve wracking at all. The people have already expressed their will. It is simply a matter of waiting to see if it is certified. However long it takes, that is how long I will be here. Being up by three is better than up by one vote. We'll take it any way we get it. It is a little bit more of a cushion and will be more of a challenge for the lead to be eroded."
4:50pm Polling division number three has been recounted. Both the PLP's Ryan Pinder and the FNM's Duane Sands lost one vote. This means Duane Sands maintains his three point lead. There will be no break in counting. Once the polling division three boxes are sealed, counting will start on polling division four. The recounted results for polling division number 3 are: PLP 140; FNM 133; BDM 14; NDP 8; Workers' Party 3.
4:30 @Thelma Gibson. FNM chairman Carl Bethel told The Tribune the governing party is "feeling very good". He said: "Much progress is being made. I can say that the representatives of Dr Sands in the room are also feeling good. All in all we are moving at an OK pace. Everything has to be certified by the returning officer, so I am not at liberty to say anything about changes in the vote count. That is not my privilege or job. My job is to ensure what we won on election day will hold in the recount. The voters voted for Mr Duane Sands on election day. We are not going to let court room tactics interfere with the clear intention of the people of Elizabeth to support the FNM.”
4:35pm From one of our stories posted today in response the query about protest votes: "Voters whose names were on the register, but were disputed by party
agents, were challenged and required to swear an oath. Voters whose
names were not on the register or had questionable voter cards were
protested and required to vote on coloured ballots.
While the challenged votes were included in the tally, the protested votes were not."
4:15pm @ Thelma Gibson. According to PLP operatives, there are only five protest votes and all of them were cast for their candidate, Ryan Pinder. The FNM are however rejecting this claim, saying the protest votes have yet to be counted.
4:10pm @ Thelma Gibson. Everyone is saying the recount will take a very long time. FNM chairman Carl Bethel and PLP MP Bernard Nottage agree that the results are unlikely to be in before midnight, while FNM MP Loretta Butler-Turner said there may not be a clear winner before tomorrow. Seven hours into the process, they are still only recounting the votes for polling division three. Polling division four is said to have the largest number of votes. There are 12 polling divisions that need to be recounted before a winner can be certified.
3:37pm @ Thelma Gibson. There has been no news from the recounting room for almost three hours. Supporters of both parties are standing around. Some are eating lunch. All are looking bored.
1:31pm Polling Division # 2 has now been recounted. Dr Duane Sands gained a vote and Ryan Pinder lost a vote in the recount. New results are: PLP 144; FNM 112; BDM 5
NDP 3; Workers’ Party 0. They're taking a half hour break from counting.
1:18pm Have confirmed that Dr Duane Sands has been at the Thelma Gibson Primary School where the recount is going on pretty much all day.
1:15pm 5 hours and 15 minutes into the process and the revised results have been released for just one of the polling divisions. There are still 11 more polling divisions to be recounted. At this rate it's unclear if the winner will be officially declared at any point today. With no news coming out, the crowds remain quiet.
12:03pm The barricades put up by police appear to have worked. The crowds gathered outside Thelma Gibson have settled down and continue to wait quietly for any more news from inside the recount. Inside the gates, party officials and senior members are sitting down, talking amongst themselves. Still no sign of the FNM's Dr Duane Sands.
11:48am Still just the one polling division recount has been announced. This process is taking a long time as election officials and lawyers for both the FNM and PLP are not only counting to see who the vote was cast for, but examining each ballot carefully to ensure it is indeed valid.
11:10am Supporters of both sides continue to hurl abuse at one another. FNM Deputy Leader Brent Symonette put his hand on one woman's shoulder, asking her to calm down, and as he turned to walk away, she hit him in the shoulder. He didn't report it to the police or have her removed from the area.
10:30am Barricades have now been put up to separate FNM and PLP supporters. Even though they've now been physically separated, the angry shouting continues. PLP candidate Ryan Pinder, who at the moment remains down by a single vote, arrived a short while ago and stopped to speak with the media gathered there. He chided the media for focusing attention on the acrimony between the two groups, suggesting that by doing so, they're fueling the problem.
10:26am Police have had to form a human barrier around the gate to the Thelma Gibson Primary School where the recount is taking place. This after they had to break up groups of passionate, arguing supporters of the FNM and the PLP. Inside, FNM Deputy Leader Brent Symonette and PLP Leader Perry Christie shook hands for the cameras.
10:15am Results from polling division number 1 recount are in. The results from last night stand. FNM 108; PLP 91; BDM 9; NDP 4; Workers' Party 2. Both parties have teams of lawyers in the room scrutinising the process and making sure everything is fair.
9:40am. FNM and PLP officials are still standing around, huddled in small groups in the Thelma Gibson school yard. They don't appear as eager to speak with the press as they were yesterday. Party supporters, once again wearing their red or yellow t-shirts, have begun to gather outside the gate. Police are there to ensure they don't come inside. After 2 hours of counting the ballots again, all sides seem to agree that we're in for a long day.
8:30am The official recount of votes for yesterday's Elizabeth by-election got underway promptly at 8am at Thelma Gibson. Neither the FNM's Dr Duane Sands who won by a single vote, or the PLP's Ryan Pinder is there. Lots of party officials, current Members of Parliament for both sides and other supporters have gathered. The mood is distinctly pensive with both sides saying 'it ain't over til it's over'.