Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Baroness Patricia Scotland in a social media post on Sunday lauded the people of Guyana for their patience during the national elections recount.
Baroness Scotland also noted that the Commonwealth Secretariat continues to “pay close attention to the electoral process in #Guyana & commends the people of [Guyana] for their patience during the recount process.” She also commended Guyanese leaders – both caretaker Government and Opposition – for committing to abiding by the results of the National Recount.
Commonwealth SG, Baroness Patricia Scotland
“I thank the Government & Opposition leaders for committing themselves to respect & adhere to the recount results,” she said in a tweet.
The Commonwealth was among five international organisations that mounted an Elections Observation Mission (EOM) to monitor Guyana’s March 2 General and Regional Elections. Former Barbadian Prime Minister Owen Arthur had led the Commonwealth EOM, which departed Guyana later in March.
In a statement at the time, the 54-member group, of which Guyana is a member, had stated that the right of Guyanese who exercised their franchise on March 2 is respected only when “every vote is transparently and credibly counted.”
Only Saturday, Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali reiterated his party’s commitment to not only respecting the right of Guyanese but also adhering to the results of the recount.
“These results are wishes of Guyanese people and it must be respected… I want to assure Guyanese that as we close up on this recount, the PPP has been consistent in saying that we will honour the results of a credible recount,” Ali posited.
His comment comes on the heels of mounting international pressure for Guyanese leaders, particularly the incumbent APNU/AFC, to accept the results emanating from the recount exercise. The recount concluded on Sunday and shows the Opposition – People’s Progressive Party/Civic – has won with a commanding lead of over 15,000 votes.
However, the coalition in a last-minute bid to hold on to power said that the recount is not credible because of what they claimed is a “high incidence of fraud”. This has since been dismissed by numerous stakeholders reminding the caretaker Administration and the leadership of APNU/AFC of its commitment to the recount process and to accept its results.
Also on Saturday, caretaker President David Granger during an address to the nation committed to abide by the declaration of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), which he reaffirmed is an independent body.
“I am committed to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law. I respect the integrity and autonomous nature of the Elections Commission. I will abide by the declarations of the Elections Commission as I have abided by the rulings of the court,” the caretaker President stated.
This followed a joint statement from the western diplomats – US, Britain, Canada and European Union – last week in which they underscored the importance for all stakeholders to uphold the integrity of the recount process and “peacefully accept” the wishes of the Guyanese population.
Moreover, renowned Guyanese diplomat Sir Shridath Ramphal in a statement on Saturday also pleaded “not to allow our motherland to descend into the darkness of denial of the rule of law and regularity… [and] not to debase ourselves by descent into the pit of lawlessness.”
