Canada yesterday strongly regretted the extended delay in declaring the election results from the March 2nd general elections and says it is prepared to use all “tools at our disposal” to hold accountable those who prevent it.
The statement would be taken as a hint at the possible withdrawal of visas and other measures and came on the heels of Washington announcing yesterday that it was withdrawing visas for those involved in undermining democracy here.
Global Affairs Canada said: “Canada strongly regrets the extended delay in declaring election results in Guyana, a delay that has now lasted more than four months since elections were held on March 2.
“We support calls by the Organization of American States, the Caribbean Community [CARICOM], the Common-wealth, the Caribbean Court of Justice and civil society organizations to announce the results based on the national recount, as validated by the CARICOM observer mission.
“In the interest of the democratic rights of the people of Guyana, Canada firmly maintains that the rule of law and democratic processes must be respected and a declaration be announced without further delay.
“Canada will continue to work with its partners in the international community, using all tools at our disposal, to demand a swift and transparent conclusion to the election process and hold accountable those who prevent it.”
Canada’s High Commissioner, Lilian Chatterjee has frequently urged that the declaration be done transparently using the figures from the recount. Canada funded the presence of the Carter Center observer team and the recount mission from CARICOM.
