President reiterates respect for Constitution, rule of law in meeting with CARICOM Heads
President David Granger yesterday afternoon met a team of CARICOM leaders seeking to mediate in the elections crisis here and he maintained that he is committed to respect for the constitution and the rule of law.
According to a Ministry of the Presidency statement, he met Chairperson of CARICOM and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley and a team of regional leaders at the Ministry of the Presidency.
Mottley is leading the delegation of regional Prime Ministers on the special two-day mission to Guyana.
She is accompanied by Prime Ministers Dr. Keith
Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago, Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica, Keith Mitchell of Grenada and Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
According to the statement, Granger in his meeting with the regional leaders said he will continue to abide by the Constitution of Guyana, the ruling of the Supreme Court and the decision of the Guyana Elections Commission.
“I am committed to the rule of law and the Constitution. We will abide by the declaration of the Elections Commission.
Like all of Guyana, we are waiting for the declaration,” said Granger, who is performing the functions of a caretaker President.
“We have respected the integrity and autonomous nature of the Elections Commission. We respect
the Courts, as independent from the Executive and will abide by the decisions of the Court,” the President added.
Mottley said the regional leaders have travelled to Guyana to find an amicable solution to the challenges facing the country’s leaders. She said the loss of life, injury, and damage to property must be avoided.
“We are conscious that the court has ruled and that the process [validation] has to be continued. We [Caribbean leaders] do not want to see the loss of life, damage to property or injuries,” Mottley said.
Granger was accompanied by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo,
Vice-President and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, Director General, Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, and Minister of State, Dawn HastingsWilliams.
Also present was Secretary General of CARICOM, Irwin LaRocque.
who made the fraudulent declaration so the SOPs can be compromised,” he said.
“We believe the containers are secured up to now and that is why we are urging GECOM, because GECOM is in charge, to make sure the containers are kept safe and we have had people looking at the containers too but they have been harassed by the police,” he added.
Jagdeo maintained that his party will hold firm to the position taken by the international and regional community that no president should be sworn in until the two-pronged verification process is completed.
“We are saying now before any person is sworn in, you have to follow the two verification that the international community has been asking for, including CARICOM,” he said.
“What is the big deal? Why is this remedy not applied? If that is not applied and they rush through the declaration and try to swear Granger in, everyone, including the region will not be able to recognise them,” he added.
Confident that his party will win if ballots are recounted, Jagdeo said that he will accede to have regions already declared recounted if the APNU+AFC wants this and he also relayed this position to CARICOM.
“They have taken what I said into consideration and I think they are talking with various parties now
but I think I have heard clear expressions of ‘what’s this big deal of refusing a recount, when that is how you can settle this country and end it all. All Guyanese, APNU supporters as well as PPP supporters can see what took place and then our country can move forward,” he said.
“The other regions have been declared so you have gone past the statutory period for which to request a recount but let me tell you…my position is: should APNU want a recount in any part of this country, in any part although we have gone through that statutory part for a recount, the PPP will accede to their request, because we have a duty to allow people’s votes to be counted. Therefore, if that is a verification APNU wants for some areas, then fine let’s give them their verification and comfort,” he added.
Jagdeo said that his party has put its SoPs on its website for persons to see and object if they have noticed any discrepancies within their districts and to date no one has done so.
“We have put it out there from since last week Thursday, neither APNU nor GECOM…has challenged ours…We have had seven days and not a single comment from APNU… they have only been taking numbers and that they have won. They have not put up any statements of poll, we did that. They have not disputed any evidence,” he said.