Int’l Center for Democracy applauds High Court’s dismissal of election petition

…calls on Opposition to work with Govt

The International Center for Democracy (ICD), a New York-based organisation, has applauded the decision of the Guyana High Court to dismiss the election petition which was filed by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition.
The ICD, which was present in Guyana for the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, said that it witnessed first-hand the “blatant and deliberate attempt” by officials from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the APNU/AFC regime to “hijack and rob the Guyanese electorate of their democratic right“ to choose their Government by perverting the tabulation process.
In a statement, the organisation said: “The ruling by the Honourable Chief Justice Roxane George concluded that the victor of the March 2, 2020 Elections was indeed the PPP/C [People’s Progressive Party/Civic] and that the APNU/AFC claim that the election process was flawed was simply unsubstantiated.”
It added that “now that the Judiciary has ruled, the ICD demands that the Opposition Leader of the APNU/AFC, Joseph Harmon, do the right thing and accept the decision of the court, publicly recognise the PPP/C as the legitimate Government and refrain from encouraging his supporters to participate in lawless and destructive protesting”.
The ICD said it also demanded that the Opposition Leader work with the Irfaan Ali-Government to promote the national interest of Guyana.
The ICD said it would continue in its unwavering support of democratic principles and values to ensure that the will of the people prevail in Guyana and that the democratic rights of the Guyanese people are not trampled upon.
The High Court on Monday dismissed the election petition filed by the APNU/AFC coalition, which was seeking to vitiate the 2020 General and Regional Elections.
APNU/AFC’s petition, number 88 of 2020, had targeted the recount that confirmed the PPP/C as the winner of the elections. However, acting Chief Justice George ruled that Order 60 of 2020, which created the recount, did not breach the Constitution.
It is a similar ruling to what the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) found when it ruled on the Eslyn David case last year. The acting Chief Justice made it clear that Article 162 of the Constitution of Guyana fully empowered the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to take whatever actions that were necessary to conclude the elections, including the recount.
Justice George noted that had there been no difficulties with the election, then GECOM’s creation of Order 60 would have been illegal. However, she pointed out that even the election petition highlighted the difficulties GECOM faced in arriving at a valid election result. Among her findings was that the petitioners failed to prove their case that there were substantial irregularities.
The fate of this election petition means that the APNU/AFC has now had both of its petitions dismissed by the High Court. In January, Justice George also dismissed APNU/AFC’s petition number 99 of 2020, owing to its late service. This ruling is currently being appealed.
The High Court’s dismissal of the coalition’s sole surviving election petition was greeted by protests from coalition supporters.
As APNU/AFC supporters took to the streets of the city, from Avenue of the Republic to Regent Street, Georgetown businesses on the usually-bustling Regent Street rushed to close their doors and secure their premises. Commuters were seen rushing off the streets as the APNU/AFC protesters marched along. However, heightened Police presence led to minimal disruption.