The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) said yesterday that the delayed release of the results of the general and regional elections held on Monday “mars any perception that the poll can be considered successfully conducted, since the process of elections is not concluded until the results are finalized and published.”
GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis in a press release yesterday called on GECOM to hasten the release of the total results for the 2011 elections.
Lewis said that “the current delay already gives rise to the perception that there is compromise in the integrity of the count which is a significant part of the process.”
According to the GTUC general secretary, “this is highly unacceptable and places the integrity of the ballot into serious question at this time.”
Lewis said further that the electors must be given all assurances that the end results will be valid but it is important that they maintain calm and peace even as they maintain vigilance.
He noted that in a country with 475,000 registered voters, “this delay is incongruous and cause for the rising tension that is permeating the post-elections atmosphere.”
The successful turnout that has been referred to by observers as a “record high” is a sign that the Guyanese people in 2011 have given prominence to their right to vote, Lewis noted, and they should not be denied timely results of their efforts nor should there be any “appearances that the pending results are anything less than credible, transparent and a reflection of their will.”
However, Lewis cautioned that results of approximately 35% of the votes cast more than 36 hours after close of poll “is not sufficient to make an assumption of the end results and may only give rise to skewed results that will create undue concern among the already pensive electorate.”
Meanwhile, although the international observers have pronounced on the relative success of the polls, the GTUC said, “despite the numerous glitches, thuggery, efforts by various members of the ruling party to compromise the process and this delayed completion of count; they would understand that were similar circumstances to occur in their respective countries it would give rise to mounting concerns, public outcries, media and political condemnation and other forms of demonstrations.”
Slamming what the GTUC called “the unjustifiable and unreasonable call for recount before a final count is concluded and preliminary results revealed, the umbrella trade union body said this “is further cause for increasing concern as tension mounts over this unprecedented delay.”
The GTUC also noted that opposition parties and electors have remained calm and have been encouraging their supporters to remain calm and patient, and this is “testimony to their maturity and level of respect for due process that guides their behaviour and outlook, (but) their patience should, however, not be tested beyond reasonable measure.”
The prolonged delay and its potential to aggravate and undermine the peace, according to the GTUC, “are serious concerns that given our political culture, lend to the perception that the delay might well be orchestrated attempts to create frustration and chaos.”
“Those who benefit from tension and chaos in our society must not be given opportunity to do so in 2011,” the GTUC concluded.
