Guyana urges international community to await final declaration of election results
WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — Guyana today urged the international community to await the final results of the disputed March 2 regional and general election while also criticising the position of former Jamaica prime minister Bruce Golding that Georgetown had failed the litmus test of democracy and that there was gloom and doom in the Caricom country.
Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Karen Cummings, addressing a special sitting of the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS) on the Guyana elections, said that President David Granger has on numerous occasions given an undertaking that he would abide by the decision of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) regarding the polls.
“Guyana is a democratic nation and intends to remain so. Further there is no breakdown in law and order in Guyana. Guyana continues to remain a peaceful, law abiding state and throughout this lengthy process, which has been guided by several constitutional provisions, the people of Guyana have remained patient, calm and peaceful.
“The international community should therefore also be patient and not seek to influence unduly the constitutional and legal processes which are currently ongoing in Guyana,” Cummings told the OAS meeting.
She said that GECOM cannot announce any winner of the elections “until the litigation process is completed”.
“This delegation wishes to reiterate and as recognised by the OAS Observer Mission and other international observers that the general and regional elections on March 2, 2020 were free, fair and orderly and conducted according to the laws of Guyana.”
But she said after the voting had taken place “there were developments regarding our electoral process which caused an extensive delay in an official declaration of the results”.
She said despite the delay, there is evidence that “Guyana remains governed by the rule of law with full respect for the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary”.
She said that the completion of the electoral process rests ‘solely in the hands’ of GECOM and that Granger “has stated publicly on numerous occasions that he would abide by any declarations that the GECOM chairperson makes in keeping with the laws of Guyana”.
