Guyana News

Chief Justice Roxane George this afternoon ruled that the court has jurisdiction in a case brought by  a supporter of the PPP seeking full verification of the vote for Region Four at Monday’s General and Regional elections.

The Guyana Elections Commission today said that as the Constitutional agency responsible for the conduct of General and Regional Elections in Guyana it is cognizant of the series of events which unfolded since the close of the Polls on Elections Day, 2nd March, 2020.

The European Union (EU) observer mission to Guyana’s elections today said that the electoral process has taken a “serious turn” following the declaration of results for Region Four last night by Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield.

Despite an injunction in place preventing it from making a declaration of the total vote count from last Monday’s elections, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) yesterday continued to move ahead to finalise the results, with  Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield requesting that a meeting be called so that he may submit his final report.

Acting Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire will today rule on whether the High Court has jurisdiction to hear an application from the PPP/C, which is seeking to have the tabulation of votes in Region Four from last Monday’s general elections done according to the law prior to the declaration of a final result.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Karen Cummings told foreign observers of Monday’s general and regional elections at a meeting last Thursday that she had been instructed to take away their accreditation if necessary but she objected, it has emerged.

The Guyana Police Force yesterday said Sewdat Hansraj, the youth who was fatally shot during last Friday evening’s protest at Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice, had been attacking its ranks with a cutlass alongside other protestors—an assertion that was rejected by his family and residents of the village, who called for an investigation to be done.

The United States State Department yesterday warned that any government sworn in on the basis of the flawed tabulation of results from last Monday’s polls “would not be legitimate,” as international calls grew for the disputed Region Four results to be verified before the swearing-in of a president.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) yesterday called on Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) officials and the political leadership to work together to ensure that the tabulation of the results from Monday’s polling is done according to the law in order for a peaceful and legal completion of the process.

Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan yesterday defended the actions of the police during Friday’s protests across the country, while noting that the use of “minimum force” was necessary given the circumstances.

A 24-year-old miner was beaten and fatally shot on Wednesday night at Mahdia, in Region Eight, and the police are on the hunt for his killer.

A suspect has confessed to murdering Rose Hall grocer Lomenzo Johnny and has implicated four other persons, three of whom have already been arrested, while police are on the hunt for the other. 

Several businesses were looted, while travellers were attacked on Friday night as unrest in West Berbice amidst continuing protests over results from last Monday’s elections. 

The suspect in the murder of gold miner Roland Kanhai, who was believed to have been fatally beaten in a robbery last week, has been arrested and police say he has since confessed to the crime.

The Bar Council of the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) yesterday voiced its “deep concern” at the prospect of any swearing in of a president on the basis of the purported declared results for Region Four and joined international observer missions in calling for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to comply with the legal requirements to ensure transparency and credibility of the polling.

The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) has condemned all acts of violence and racist behaviour at the current time, including attacks directed against Indigenous Peoples in wake of the release of some results from Monday’s general and regional elections.

Youth Challenge Guyana (YCG), which fielded a local electoral observer group for last Monday’s elections, has added its voice to those calling for calm as the country awaits an official declaration of the winner of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) presidential candidate Irfaan Ali yesterday once again appealed to his party’s supporters for calm, while saying that opposition has activated legal recourses to ensure that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) adheres to the law in the tabulation of votes for Region Four at last Monday’s elections.

Following days of tension and uncertainty over the results of Monday’s general and regional elections, there was some return to normalcy for a number businesses in the city and its outskirts yesterday, although several remained closed.

Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire will on Sunday afternoon rule on whether the High Court has the jurisdiction to hear an application seeking to have the tabulation of votes in Region Four at Monday’s general elections done according to the law prior to the declaration of a final result.