Democracy under serious threat
The international observers –including the Caribbean Community, Carter Centre, Commonwealth and the Organization of American States – have denounced the controversial declaration made by the Returning Officer for District 4.
They have all urged a return to the verification and tabulation process which was done for all the other nine districts and which would take only a few hours to be completed for the few hundred unverified statements of poll for District 4.
In light of the aborted verification process and the controversial District 4 declaration, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union have expressed concern about credible allegations of electoral fraud which could influence the results of the elections.
As such, they have unambiguously called on President Granger to avoid a transition of government based on a tabulation which lacks credibility.
Lowenfield prepares to announce elections results
Opposition commissioners refuse invitation to meet
Opposition-nominated commissioners have refused to meet as a Commission. They refused an invitation by Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, to a meeting which suggested that he is prepared to announce the results of the general elections.
Last evening, Commissioners Sase Gunraj, Robeson Benn and Bibi Shadick, made it clear that they are not meeting as there is a current matter before the courts. And in any case, it would constitute contempt.
CJ to rule today on jurisdiction to hear elections results case
In an emergency sitting held at the Georgetown High Court on Saturday, Chief Justice (Ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire, heard preliminary arguments in the case filed against the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) over a failure to verify the vote count for Region Four.
The People Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) is seeking orders to prevent incumbent David Granger from being sworn as President on the grounds of electoral fraud.
Norway, France, St. Vincent & the Grenadines gravely concerned about electoral process
Three of Guyana’s diplomatic partners have expressed grave concern for the credibility of Guyana’s electoral process. They are namely France, Norway and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
Any Govt. sworn in with flawed tabulation would be illegitimate – US State Department
The US State Department has come forward with a damning statement for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), following the declaration of unverified results of the region four general and regional elections.
Acting Assistant Secretary for the US Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael Kozak, tweeted yesterday that “vote tabulation irregularities marred Guyana’s March 2 elections”.
“Irrespective of today’s legal proceedings,” Kozak said, referring to the injunction proceedings in the High Court, “any Government sworn in on the basis of that result would not be legitimate.”
“Every vote must count” – says CARICOM Chair to political parties
“Every vote must be made to count; and transparently so,” said Chairman of the Caribbean Community [CARICOM], Ms. Mia Mottley.
Speaking in this very capacity, Mottley issued a call for the electoral officials in Guyana and the representative political parties to work together to achieve a peaceful and lawful completion of the electoral process.
Opposition parties request for recount rejected
A request to have a total recount done for the Region Four general and regional elections results has been rejected by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
This comes after days of commotion over the procedure used to tabulate those results, and a declaration by returning officer, Clairmont Mingo, which was later rendered not credible by several international observers.
Assistant Police Commissioner Thomas ‘busted’ from Divisional Commander to Patrol Officer
-a day after refusing order to put Elections Commissioner, others out of GECOM Centre
From Divisional Commander to patrol officer.
That’s the fate of Assistant Police Commissioner, Edgar Thomas.
A day after he refused an order to put a Guyana Elections Commissioner (GECOM) out of the GECOM Centre, Thomas was officially notified that he was being transferred to Police Headquarters, Eve Leary.
Former elections chief calls for consensus healing talks now between political parties
Former chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Major General (Ret’d), Joseph Singh, is calling for consensus to help heal Guyana.
“Mature leadership reaching across the political divide must be prepared to achieve a degree of consensus in the decision-making process so that no one feels excluded because his or her party did not win the elections or is not represented in Parliament.
That reaching-out process must commence now and be sustained by leadership, both political and civil society, committed to a process that alleviates the negative feelings, concerns and fears that pervade our society,” the official said in a letter to the editor yesterday of Kaieteur News.
