The presidential candidates at Monday’s general elections have called for calm even as chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Dr. Steve Surujbally emphasized that the elections results “have not been compromised in any way, shape or form.”
“We have followed and continue to comply with the legal requirements and all other statements to the contrary are false and provocative,” said Surujbally flanked by the presidential candidates of the political parties at a news briefing called after APNU supporters drove through the streets of the city earlier yesterday. The motorcade saw police hastily throwing up barricades around GECOM’s Kingston headquarters and stores closing with thousands of workers rushing home.
“I call on all concerned to accept the official results of the elections when they are declared by the chief election officer as an accurate reflection of how the electorate voted,” Surujbally said while also calling for restraint. The presidential candidates for APNU, AFC, PPP/C and TUF, David Granger, Khemraj Ramjattan, Donald Ramotar and Peter Persaud respectively all called for calm but also expressed disapproval of the time it is taking to declare the results.
The “unwarranted delays” in announcing results has contributed to the creation of a dangerous situation, said Granger. He said that a “security crisis” is being “provoked” and APNU is compiling a dossier on malpractices committed in various regions. Granger urged the “intellectual authors” to desist from any act that would worsen the climate and also warned that they would have to bear responsibility for the consequences of any provocation.
Granger said too that APNU is fully committed to accepting the election result on the legal basis for the compiling of results which are the Statement of Polls. “The Partnership feels that the Statements of Poll are the sole legal bases for the computation of the final results. We, therefore, are fully committed to accepting results from the legal bases of the polls which SOPs have been already published and are already in possession of all of the parties,” he said.
Afterwards, he told reporters in relation to the dossier that over the last two days they have received credible reports of persons including Presidential advisor Odinga Lumumba and the President’s press officer, Kwame McCoy who had gone into polling stations “and behaved inappropriately”. Granger also referred to seals of ballot boxes being found and said they have put those on display and “we have received information that there were other irregularities and those would be put in the dossier” about persons being denied to vote. “There were some ballot boxes whose numbers were not consistent with the listed numbers,” he added.
Peace
Meanwhile, Ramjattan said that the AFC wants peace in the country and does not foresee any violence at this or any stage. He said that it is in the interest of parties to desist from any provocation that could result in violence. He said that leaders must ensure that there is defusing of any tensions. “We will respect the final results as adumbrated by GECOM,” while adding that notwithstanding the delay, the election has more or less been free and fair and the AFC does not know of anything “untoward” at this stage.
Ramotar, for his part, while endorsing the call for peace, said that it is very important for all to accept the results of the elections. He said that he understood the frustration of some, including his supporters at the sloth in the declaring of results. He added that they have confidence in GECOM’s process and are ready to accept the results of elections. Further, he said, while still believing a recount is warranted, he has instructed that the PPP/C withdraw its request for a recount in the several areas it had requested. He also condemned those who were trying to incite.
TUF’s Persaud also joined the call for calm.
Asked to comment on the procession around George-town and congregation at Congress Place, Granger said APNU’s supporters have been very concerned and are calling and coming in because they are surprised that it is taking so long to announce the results. He said he is not aware of any hostile action at Congress Place or action taken by police.
Quizzed further on the “crisis”, he said: “there is a crisis, in the sense that for the last 46 hours we have not been able to get a simple declaration on maybe 400 000 votes.” He added: “We feel we are in a crisis at present as a result of the delay and a result of the other reports about attempts to affect the outcome of the elections by certain named persons.”
