Two congressmen who President David Granger earlier this year assured that elections would be free and fair, yesterday joined calls that the Guyana Elections Commission issue results in keeping with the 33-day recount, even as they called out the Chief Election Officer for his ploy to subvert the process.
Democrat Congressmen Albio Sires and Gregory Meeks, Chairman and Vice Chair respectively of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, and Trade, said they issued the statement in support of democracy here.
“We condemn all efforts to undermine the credibility of the March 2nd election, including recent actions taken by the Chief Elections Officer to effectively disenfranchise thousands of voters and manipulate the vote count,” the statement said.
Sires of New Jersey and Meeks and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke of New York had met with Granger in January when they were here and he had assured the US Congressional team that General and Regional Elections will be “free, fair and credible”.
Since then, analysts have questioned what the President meant by his frequent reference to “credible” elections and the possibility if it being a signal that the results of the election could be called into doubt.
“I was able to assure the US Congressional team that all the preparations that need to be made, are being made by the Elections Commission in accordance with the law and that the Executive Branch of Government has been compliant with the Constitution and, that we are working to ensure that the elections are indeed free and fair. We will continue to cooperate with the Elections Commission to do so,” Granger was quoted by the Ministry of Presidency as saying.
In reference to their visit here, the congressmen said that they are friends of Guyana and urged GECOM “to promptly issue a Declaration of Results based on the results of the national recount. CARICOM, the Organization of American States, diplomatic missions, and domestic civil society organizations all confirmed that the recount was completed in a
professional and transparent manner, providing the basis for a Declaration of Results.”
“We strongly support the multilateral efforts made to support the people of Guyana throughout this process, which have been led by CARICOM and supported by the U.S. Embassy, the European Union, the Canadian and British High Commissions, and the Organization of American States,” it added.
While making clear that they “do not endorse President Trump’s and Secretary Pompeo’s unilateral approach to conducting foreign policy around the world,” they said that they “stand with our career diplomats and with the international community, which is completely unified in calling for the immediate Declaration of Results based on the recount.”
The congressmen said that they support GECOM Chairwoman Claudette Singh’s decision to dismiss all of the Chief Elections Officer’s fraudulent reports and are confident that she will declare a winner based on the actual vote count, as certified through the recount process.
“Guyana’s leaders must prioritize national unity and the long-term health of Guyana’s democratic institutions and abide by the will of the Guyanese people, as reflected in the recount results. We commend the people of Guyana for their remarkable patience over the last four months, but they have waited far too long. GECOM must promptly issue a Declara-tion of Results and begin the democratic transition process,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Jim Risch lauded announcements by the Department of State to impose sanctions on persons responsible for undermining the democratic process.
“I applaud @StateDept’s actions today to hold accountable Guyanese officials who have undermined democracy & delayed results from #Guyana’s March elections. It’s long past time Guyanese authorities begin a democratic transition of power that reflects the confirmed results,” the Chairman and Idaho’s junior Republican senator said on Twitter.
