US Govt concerned over no start date for elections recount

…says continued delay further violates citizens’ rights

The United States (US) Government remains concerned over the fact that more than seven weeks since the General and Regional Elections in Guyana, there has still been no credible outcome.
This position was communicated to the international media on Friday by acting US Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael Kozak, who lamented that a start date for the recount exercise has not yet been identified by the Guyana Elections Commission.

Addressing the political situation in Guyana, Kozak told a media briefing “we remain gravely concerned that so much time has passed without a credible result.”
He said, “…further delays violate the Guyanese people’s rights to a transparent, credible, and timely electoral process.”
Kozak used the occasion to remind that “the relations we have with the Governments and the people of the Western Hemisphere are very important” to the US Administration and that “we will continue to stand with our friends as we confront the challenge of COVID-19, extend freedom throughout the region, and work to reignite economic prosperity for our citizens.”
GECOM on Friday—through individual Commissioners—indicated that it had completed the initial work-plan for the recount of the ballots cast at the March 2 elections but it is yet to Gazette the order since it is yet to come up with a start date.
It was explained to reporters by Commissioners outside GECOM’s Georgetown head office that the start date will be determined based on the response by the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
The Commission has invited Caricom to observe the recount process as part of the validation process given public outcry that erupted over the declarations of the results of the March 2 vote, which led to street protests, resulting in one person being shot dead by the police and a litany of litigation.
Government-aligned Commissioner, Vincent Alexander on Friday indicated that the Commission will continue to engage with Secretary General, Irwin La Roque—through the Commission’s Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh.
It was explained that the availability of the Caricom delegation would inform the commencement date for the recount order.
The US diplomat had last month hauled in Guyana’s Ambassador to the US, Riyad Insanally, who was warned that any Government sworn in based on flawed results would not be recognised by the Donald Trump Administration.
The US has previously warned that there would be “serious consequences” for those who seek to benefit from electoral fraud in Guyana.
Additionally, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab had also warned of “serious consequences” for those who seek to benefit from electoral fraud in Guyana.
“Any Government sworn in on the basis of non-credible results will face strong international condemnation. If the situation continues to deteriorate, this international response will include a range of serious consequences for those concerned” Raab said last month.
The French plenipotentiary representative to Guyana, Antoine Joly had also expressed his country’s deep concern at the situation in Guyana following the elections.
“France warns against any hasty initiative aiming for the President to be sworn in until this verified count has been completed. Only this procedure will ensure a legitimate, democratically acceptable process and avoid the clashes which unfortunately have already started in different places in Guyana,” the French Ambassador stated.
Another of Guyana’s largest bilateral financiers, Norway also joined the international chorus in relation to the electoral brouhaha in Guyana since March 2.
That country’s Ambassador to Guyana, Nils Martin Gunneng had stated that, “Norway shares concerns expressed regarding recent electoral developments in Guyana” and that “the final election results need to be credible and transparent.”
Several other international organisations which fielded observer missions to Guyana for the March 2 polls had also cited the lack of transparency in the declaration of the country’s Region Four’s elections results and called for the verification process to be completed to give credibility to the full electoral process.
These include the Organisation of American States (OAS), The Commonwealth, EU, Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the US-based Carter Center.