The envoys of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union Delegation and Canada yesterday warned that the swearing in of any president on the basis of flawed results could lead to Guyana’s isolation.
They made the declaration in a statement issued after a walk out of the tabulation process for the votes recorded in Region Four at the March 2 general elections, while noting that it was clear that a transparent process was not in place and intimidatory tactics were being applied.
“The Ambassador of the United States of America, H.E. Sarah-Ann Lynch, the British High Commission-er, H.E. Greg Quinn, the Canadian High Commissioner, H.E. Lilian Chatterjee, and the Ambas-sador of the European Union, H.E. Fernando Ponz-Canto, decided to leave the Region 4 tabulation process this morning as it was clear that a transparent and credible process was not put in place by the responsible officials. Further, we are concerned about intimidation tactics we observed against those seeking to ensure that a credible process is followed,” they said in the statement.
“We must be clear that in the absence of a credible process, as directed by the Honorable Chief Justice, it is our view that any results for Region 4 which will impact the overall results of the 2 March elections will not be credible and a President sworn in on the basis of those results will not be considered legitimate,” they added.
The ambassadors also reminded that they were all long-standing friends of Guyana whose countries have supported its development over many decades. “The betterment of Guyana and its people has always been our interest. In that spirit we urge all parties to not do anything which could lead to Guyana’s isolation,” they added.
