Members of civil society yesterday intensified calls for President Donald Ramotar and the PPP/C to concede defeat at Monday’s polls, which they maintained were free and fair.
Although the preliminary results show that opposition coalition APNU+AFC won the polls with 206,817 votes to PPP/C’s 201,457 votes, Ramotar has insisted that the process was rigged and demanded a full recount of ballots. The PPP/C’s continued objections have delayed the official declaration and the swearing in of David Granger as the new head of state.
The Guyana Bar Association, the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers, the Justice Institute of Guyana and Transparency Institute (Guyana) Inc yesterday jointly called on Ramotar and the PPP/C to accept the results of the general and regional elections and to concede electoral victory to the APNU+AFC alliance.
“It is fundamental to democracy that the people are able to vote and replace elected representatives in periodic, free and fair elections. Our four organisations accept the conclusion of the various official observers that these elections were free and fair and reflect the will of the people,” they said in a statement.
The groups said it is contrary to democracy to continue to delay the swearing in of Granger as President and the handover of executive government to the APNU+AFC coalition.
“We are proud that the people of Guyana have shown great patience and restraint during this week. We look forward to a new Parliament based on respect for the rule of law and respect for the inherent dignity of each and every citizen of Guyana,” they added, while calling on all citizens to continue to go about their business peacefully, with dignity and with respect for one another.”
Both the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) also urged the PPP/C to accept the results, while pointing to the effect that the prolonged delay in the declaration of official results has had on the economy and the country.
The PSC, which has been seen as an ally of the PPP/C, in a second statement urged the incumbent to accept the results and begin transitioning to the new government for the benefit of all Guyanese who are yearning for normalcy to resume. “The business community is at a standstill and this prolonged process is creating damage to the economy and the citizenry,” it further noted.
In the face of new allegations by the PPP/C that the electoral process was manipulated, the PSC reiterated its “full confidence” in the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) and its adherence to the law and procedures. “We have no material information to indicate that the results as released by Gecom will change based on allegations by the PPP/C,” it added.
For its part, the city chamber said it was becoming deeply concerned by the apparent refusal of the one of the main political parties to accept the elections results.
It did not name the party in its statement but it the PPP/C is the only group that has not accepted that the APNU+AFC coalition won the election.
The Chamber statement said that “all the observer missions, both local and international, have deemed the elections to be free and fair.”
Gecom, it further noted, to the agitation of sections of the population, also went to great pains to ensure that all the results published were accurate and beyond question. “The uncertainty created by this state of affairs has caused business, productivity and the entire country to grind to a halt. As a nation we cannot continue to suffer because of the machinations of parts of our political establishment. We therefore urge all parties accept the results of the elections. There is a legal recourse available for all those who are dissatisfied with any part of the electoral process,” it further said.
Youth Movement Guyana, which had endorsed the PPP/C ahead of the elections, also yesterday urged Ramotar to respect the will of the electorate and ensure a smooth transition of power, while saying time is of essence.
“We would like to thank President Ramotar for his service to this great nation and regret that he was stymied in his efforts to further development during his presidency; we remind him that history will judge him by this hour, and hope he makes it one of his finest,” Youth Movement Guyana Administrator Robin Singh said in the brief statement.
