Fmr ACP Secretary General joins call for vote recount in Guyana

…threats of sanctions must be taken seriously, avoided – tells authorities

Former Guyanese Secretary General of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) nations’ bloc, Dr Patrick Ignatius Gomes is warning Guyanese authorities that “threats and warnings of sanctions from major powers with whom trade, development and investment must rid our country of poverty, illiteracy and inadequate health care for all Guyanese must be taken seriously and avoided.”
The former ambassador is among the latest to caution the David Granger Administration against the pitfalls of having a President declared on results that lack transparency and credibility.

Guyana held its General and Regional Elections on March 2, 2020, but a month later the Guyana Elections Commission is yet to declare official results since declarations for the votes cast in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) were discredited as a result of the decision of the Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, to use unverified figures rather than the Statements of Poll data to tabulate the region’s result.
The matter has since engaged the courts but not before outbreaks of sporadic violence across the country that has led to the death of a teenager, killed at the hands of ranks of the Guyana Police Force.
According to Dr Gomes, “the time has long passed for leaders of all political parties to give an unequivocal commitment that transparent, verified and reliable results from a re-count of our March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections shall be accepted in their entirety as the legal basis for a democratically elected Government to assume office without further delay.”
He was adamant that “the urgent resolution of this political impasse is essential to keep our place in history as a proud, self-respecting and law-abiding member of the Caribbean Community, who generously offered assistance; and also as a key member of that inter-continental, inter-governmental organisation of 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific States, whose navel string in the Georgetown Agreement of 1975, has given continuing solidarity to all peoples of the global south in the fight to end poverty and achieve sustainable and equitable development.”
According to Dr Gomes, “the hand of friendship from our Caricom neighbours, needs to be encouraged and not appear as almost insulted, making it necessary for the Caricom team to leave prematurely….Let the recount begin and credible, verifiable evidence give us the lawfully elected Government that our forefathers and mothers fought for and this and future generations deserve.”
Dr Gomes served as Secretary General of the ACP Group of States from March 1, 2015, until March 1, 2020.
He is the latest of a long line of diplomats who have called for a creditable recount of votes in Guyana.
Admonitions have flowed from the United States; the United Kingdom; Canada; the European Union (EU); the Caribbean Community (Caricom); the Organisation of American States (OAS) and The Carter Center.
Only on Friday, one day after Guyana’s Ambassador to the US, Riyad Insanally was warned that any Government sworn in based on flawed results would not be recognised by the Trump Administration, Michael Grant, Assistant Deputy Minister for Global Affairs of Canada has echoed similar sentiments.
Grant, in a statement, said that the Canadian Government is closely monitoring the legal proceedings relating to Guyana’s National and Regional Elections that was held on March 2, 2020.
“We believe a recount of ballots is necessary to ensure every vote is counted. The will of the people must be respected for Canada to recognise the legitimacy of a duly elected Government.”
On Thursday last Michael Kozak, acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, stated that the Guyanese Ambassador was summoned to a meeting where the US reiterated its stance on the current political situation in Guyana.
“On behalf of the US Government, today [Thursday], I summoned Guyana Ambassador to the US, Riyad Insanally to convey our firm position that any Government sworn in based on flawed election results would not be legitimate. Every vote must be counted,” Kozak tweeted.
The US has previously warned that there would be “serious consequences” for those who seek to benefit from electoral fraud in Guyana.
This warning was even relayed by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, during a press conference on March 17.