Guyana News

Public Security Minister and APNU+AFC Prime Ministerial candidate Khemraj Ramjattan yesterday said that the government would not allow the opposition PPP/C to “steal” the March 2 general elections and declared that according to the incumbent coalition’s figures it has won by a slim majority.

The preliminary inquiry (PI) into the murder charge against Kwayana Fernandes, who is accused of the fatal stabbing of taxi driver Owayne Lynch, continued on Wednesday in a Georgetown court with the testimony of a police witness.

Carter Center Statement on Region 4 Election Results GEORGETOWN — The Carter Center is deeply concerned about the events that took place today at the Office of the Returning Officer for Region 4 and the decision to announce results that had not been verified.

The envoys of the US, UK, Canada and the European Union today said the full count of Region Four’s elections results was not completed and they questioned the credibility of the results released today by GECOM.

Amid mounting chaos in the verification of the election results for Region Four, the Head of the Commonwealth observer team, Owen Arthur  this evening said final results for the general elections have not been tabulated and he urged all of the stakeholders to ensure full compliance with the law.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) this evening said it is appalled at the “blatant and deliberate attempts by GECOM to destroy our democracy” by derailing the counting process for the 2020 elections results and attempts to subvert the will of the people.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has released to the media, results for Region Four in the General and Regional Elections and if certified would see the incumbent APNU+AFC winning the general elections by around 7,000 votes .

Lawyers associated with the PPP/C today secured an injunction against GECOM, the Chief Election Officer (CEO) and the Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo from declaring the election results from Monday unless done in compliance with the law.

The Guyana Government today expressed regret over any `misunderstanding’ of comments made by Foreign Minister Dr Karen Cummings to international elections observers which were construed by some of them to constitute a threat to strip them of accreditation.

The Giftland Group of companies’ owner Roy Beepat today said that unless all internationally accepted elections practices in relation to elections results are followed and accepted by the international observers he will close the Giftland Mall until such time as the laws of the country are complied with.

Unrest is continuing at the Region Four Returning Officer’s office on High Street where the votes for the region are still being verified.

Foreign Minister Dr Karen Cummings was today accused of threatening to take away the accreditation of foreign observers amid mounting chaos in the verification of Region Four votes and her words drew a sharp rebuke from the Head of the Commonwealth observer mission, former Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur.

Verification of the statements of poll (SoPs) for Region Four is to resume today following a major commotion this morning that saw the Police being called in to investigate reports that a data entry clerk had a suspect flash drive and lap top in his possession.

Nine of Guyana’s 10 electoral districts have officially declared the results of the Regional Elections contested on Monday and the opposition PPP/C was leading the incumbent APNU+AFC by over 51,000 with only Demerara-Mahaica to be verified.

Verification of Statements of Poll (SoPs) for Region Four was on hold last night after some staff said they were exhausted, compounding hours of delay earlier in the day when a questionable spreadsheet of results triggered a major controversy and an emergency GECOM meeting.

International observer group, the Carter Center, has called on everyone including political parties to refrain from declaring elections results while the country waits for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to official announce them.

Head of the CARICOM Election Observation Mission to Guyana’s March 2 elections, Cynthia Combie-Martyr has expressed dissatisfaction that previous recommendations to reform the electoral system were never implemented even as Monday’s polls were deemed free and fair.

President David Granger last evening urged supporters to remain patient and await the official declaration of results from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as no one knows the “final scores.”

First Head of the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Guyana, Urmas Paet yesterday cited the APNU+AFC coalition and opposition PPP/C for utilising state resources to campaign for the March 2 general and regional elections.

In a judgment released by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) yesterday, a special-leave application to appeal a decision of the Guyana Court of Appeal was rejected in a property case between Rafudeen Nizamudin and Chandroutie Persaud and their son, Javen Nizamudin.