Guyana News

With the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) nearing the end of the recount of votes cast at the March 2nd polls, President David Granger yesterday said irregularities reported by the APNU+AFC pointed to a deliberate manipulation of the electoral process even as he reiterated that he would abide by the final declarations of the elections body.

Former Foreign Affairs Minister and government consultant Sir Shridath Ramphal has issued an appeal for the rule of law to prevail as Guyana nears “the tipping point of its ‘elections crisis.’”

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday called on the Commissioner of Police Leslie James to withdraw a list of voters that he purports were out of the country on polling day due to inaccuracies that have been uncovered.

Almost a year after being diagnosed with a rare brain tumour, a mother of eight of Kato Village, in Region Eight, is now slated to undergo the first phase of her treatment tomorrow.

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) is celebrating the 17th anniversary of its founding today.

The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has promised to take “strict” action against a local water company, which it said was caught filling one of its trucks from a fire hydrant in order to sell to its customers.

The Miss Earth Guyana Organisation has selected former contestant Cintiana Harry as Miss Earth Guyana 2020 after taking the decision to postpone the holding of a new pageant until next year.

The Regional Health and Emergency Committee (RHEC) of Region Ten is currently at odds with the Mayor and Town Council (M&TC) over its decision to keep Linden’s markets open despite the dangers presented for the spread of novel coronavirus disease.

Tullow Guyana and Caribbean Surgery Incorporated (CSI) have partnered to acquire and distribute 10,000 reusable cloth masks for free at central hubs of Georgetown as part of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ninety-three ballot boxes from the March 2nd general elections were recounted today, according to GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj.

While reiterating that he will abide  by the declarations of GECOM, President David Granger adverted to numerous reports of “irregularities” at the March 2nd general elections and said these appeared to have been committed deliberately.

With the tabulation of the recounted ballots from the March 2nd general elections drawing to an end, by the end of yesterday the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had a lead of 16,371 votes over the incumbent APNU+AFC coalition.

With the Education Minis-try preparing to move ahead with the holding of examinations for thousands of students across the country next month, the leadership of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) yesterday said it would not be supporting the decision as it maintained that the school environment poses a “threat” to learners, teachers, and families due to inadequate coronavirus safety protocols. 

Chief Education Officer (CEO) Ingrid Trotman yesterday said that students who don’t want to sit the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) exams over the two-day course in July will not be forced to write the exam.

A flight from Miami to Georgetown is expected to land today with the first group of Guyanese who were approved to return home since the closure of the country’s airspace due to COVID-19 restrictions, de facto Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson has confirmed.

APNU+ AFC campaign Co-Chairman Joseph Harmon yesterday said that the Organisation of American States (OAS) went into the “boundary” of “interference” when it declared that the National Recount will yield a credible result for the March 2nd general and regional elections.

In its final report on the March 2nd elections here, the European Union Elec-tion Observer Mission (EU EOM) has said that the integrity of the entire electoral process was “seriously compromised” by the non-transparent tabulation of results in Region Four, for which it blamed senior Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) officials.

As the recount of the ballots cast at the March 2 polls nears its conclusion, the heads of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union diplomatic missions have stressed the need for all stakeholders to “uphold the integrity” of the process and “peacefully accept” the wishes of the Guyanese population.

For the fifth day in succession Guyana has recorded no new case of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after the results of another round of testing.

Courts Guyana yesterday donated 20 Aeroboxes to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to aid in the protection of frontline health care workers.