Joint political parties urge peace pending outcome of court proceedings

Several of the political parties that contested the March 2 General and Regional Elections have taken a joint stance against the declaration of unverified results from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and are calling on Guyanese to maintain peace pending the outcome of ongoing court proceedings.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has obtained injunctions from the High Court to block the declaration of unverified results from Region Four as well as overall results from Monday’s polls. Chief Justice Roxane George on Sunday ruled that the High Court has jurisdiction to hear the matter and set Tuesday for the hearing of the application.
As such, in a joint statement on Sunday, the PPP/C along with Change Guyana (CG), Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), The New Movement (TNM) and the United Republican Party (URP) welcomed the court’s ruling.
“The parties call on all citizens of Guyana to remain calm and peaceful as these matters continue to engage the attention of the courts, and as we continue to work with the local and international community in ensuring that GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission) follows the specific provisions of the relevant election laws and operate within a framework of respected democratic norms,” the missive stated.
According to the parties, they have accessed copies of Statements of Poll (SOPs) from district four, which they have gathered independently and these documents will be used in the legally required verification process, which was abandoned by the RO who went ahead and declared the unverified results for Region Four.
“As various statements from diverse members of the international community reiterated, the votes of district #4 must be verified and tabulated in the manner required by the relevant elections legislation. It is only after such a legal process is completed that the results for district #4 should be publicly declared,” the parties contended.
They went on to demand that GECOM desists from taking any unlawful or illegal action which will constitute a breach of the relevant legislation and extant Orders of the Court.
“We call on all [of] Guyana to understand that the political parties outside of APNU/AFC are working for a peaceful and legal resolution to this situation and we remain committed to respecting the results emanating from district #4, pursuant to a process conducted in accordance with Section 84 (1) of the Representation of the People’s Act, Chapter 1:03,” the missive on Sunday added.
Meanwhile, the parties welcomed the commitment and pronouncements of international observers, local observer groups, several Governments, international and local organisations that support the preservation of democracy in Guyana.
“The parties take note of the important threats of sanctions from the international community in general and the ABCE countries in particular, which can include personal sanctions against all those who participated in the process to undermine democracy by acting outside of the rule of law.
The parties further noted that they strongly support the statement from the US Department of State which emphasised that, “The people of Guyana deserve a credible election and transfer of power that reflects their will… Vote tabulation irregularities marred Guyana’s March 2 elections. Our Ambassador and many observers saw flawed tabulation. Irrespective of today’s legal proceedings, any Government sworn in on the basis of that result would not be legitimate.”