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As international pressure continues to mount, diplomats from the United States, Britain, Canada and the European Union (ABCE) in Guyana has joined calls for every vote cast at the March 2 elections to be reflected in the final results declaration by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
In a joint statement, US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee, and EU Ambassador Fernando Ponz-Canto said this was critical for the will of the Guyanese people to be respected.
“It is important in our view that every vote, cast by every voter, be reflected in that declaration, in order to ensure that the will of the people of Guyana is respected. That respect includes an election declaration of results that mirrors the order and integrity displayed by the people of Guyana, GECOM and party officials, as witnessed by domestic and international observers during the 2 March General and Regional Elections,” the missive on Wednesday detailed.
This statement by ABCE envoys comes on the heels of Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield on Tuesday submitting his elections report to the seven-member Elections Commission in which he disenfranchised some 115,000 plus votes.
Lowenfield’s new figures, which he says are “valid and credible votes”, have invalidated nearly 25 per cent of the votes cast at the March 2020 polls by claiming that the caretaker A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition garnered 171,825 votes while the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) gained 166,343 votes.
However, the results emanating from the national recount show the PPP/C in a landslide lead with 233,336 votes while the APNU/AFC secured 217,920 votes.
The ABCE diplomats reminded that the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Observer Mission, which was referred to as “the most legitimate interlocutor” by caretaker President David Granger during the national recount process, has concluded in its report on the recount exercise that “nothing we witnessed, warrants a challenge to the inescapable conclusion that the recount results are acceptable and should constitute the basis of the declaration of results of the March 2, 2020 elections”.
To this end, the ABCE envoys expressed concern that some 114 days after the General and Regional Elections, the people of Guyana continue to await the declaration of an election result.
“We believe election results are long overdue and, in that regard, we applaud the patience and peacefulness displayed by the people of Guyana… we trust GECOM to meet its constitutional duty to issue a declaration on the basis of the results of the recount as confirmed by Caricom, to ensure the democratic choice of the people is fulfilled,” the diplomats posited.
These Western diplomats were among the observers – both international and domestic – and other stakeholders, that had deemed the tabulation of the votes in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) – Guyana’s largest voting district – as not credible and had threatened “serious consequences” and sanctions if a president was sworn in on results that lacked legitimacy and transparency.
In fact, only earlier this month in another joint statement, the ABCE envoys had lauded the commitment of all stakeholders in ensuring full transparency in the 34-day recount exercise and the commitment of the political leaders to adhere to the results from the process.
“We also commend President Granger and the Leader of the Opposition for their support of the recount, and for their clear commitment to abide by the results. As this process concludes, it is important for all stakeholders to uphold the integrity of the process and peacefully accept the wishes of the Guyanese population,” the diplomats had stated.
However, the APNU/AFC, through its supporter Eslyn David, approached the Court of Appeal just when GECOM had decided to go ahead with the declaration of the elections based on the recount results.
Now, the Appeal Court’s ruling that “more votes cast” means “more valid votes cast” is being challenged at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) by the PPP/C which has contended that the Court’s pronouncements have “plunged the law in total confusion and it is now no longer clear how an election of members of the National Assembly is to be challenged and how the election of the President can be challenged.”
The international community has already warned that Guyana can face numerous levels of sanctions if the will of the Guyanese people is not respected.
