OAS welcomes CARICOM observer report, calls for transition of gov’t to begin as PPP/C has won
The Organisation of American States (OAS) yesterday welcomed the findings of the CARICOM observer team that the recount of votes from the March 2nd elections provides the basis for the declaration of a result and it called for the incumbent APNU+AFC to begin the process of transition as the figures showed that the opposition PPP/C had won.
In a statement, the OAS also expressed astonishment at the report submitted on Saturday by Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield to GECOM saying that the recount results were not credible.
The OAS noted that in an earlier statement of April 15, 2020, prior to the commencement of the recount, it had recommended the exclusion of any official who had displayed partisan behaviour during the electoral process.
“While the CEO’s approach to his report is therefore disappointing, it is not unexpected”, the OAS asserted, signalling that it was its view that Lowenfield had engaged in partisan behaviour.
The OAS was present during the recount and declared in a statement on June 4 that it provided the basis for the declaration of a result.
“As noted in our statement of June 4, OAS observers present on each day of the national recount have reported that the process was conducted in a professional, transparent and impartial fashion, which allowed GECOM, political parties and other stakeholders to accurately determine the results for each polling station. OAS reiterates that there is no reason not to support the results of the recount process.
“OAS further takes note and wholly supports the findings of the CARICOM team of scrutineers that the results of the recount were transparent and credible, and nothing prevents the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission from now declaring the election, based on these results.
“Elections are held to determine the will of the people and once the people’s wishes are clearly stated they must be upheld – not only in instances where they favour the incumbent. In this case, the results published in the report of the Chief Election Officer himself make it clear that the opposition PPP/C has won the favour of the majority of Guyana’s eligible voters. Their will must be respected.
“The OAS calls on the current administration of Guyana to begin the process of transition, which will allow the legitimately elected government to take its place”, the statement yesterday noted.
The hemispheric body said that the decision of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), on April 3, 2020, to proceed with a national recount, and the start of the process on May 6, were welcome developments following the very irregular occurrences in the tabulation process for District Four, which undermined the credibility of the results for that electoral District – the largest in Guyana.
The OAS noted yesterday that the decision to proceed with the recount had the full support of all stakeholders in the March 2 General and Regional Elections. It pointed out that the Official Order of the Recount, No. 60/2020, gazetted on May 4, 2020 states “… the President and the Leader of the Opposition and all contesting parties agreed to a CARICOM proposal for a total recount of all electoral districts as a means of assuaging the contesting parties and determining a final credible count…” The OAS noted that this support was reiterated in public statements by the President of Guyana, David Granger and other key stakeholders as the recount proceeded.
The OAS noted that the Order for the recount required that “ascertained and verified” matrices of the results for each of the ten electoral districts be submitted to the Chief Election Officer, who would then tabulate these results and submit them to GECOM, along with a summary of the observation reports prepared for each District.
“OAS notes that the report submitted by the Chief Election Officer on June 13, records multiple `allegations’ of irregularities by a contesting party in each District, which are then used as a basis for determining that the electoral process in each of the ten Districts was not credible. There is little evidence in the CEO’s report of efforts to investigate or otherwise address any of the “alleged” irregularities
presented. His contention that the entire election be set aside on this basis alone is astonishing”, the statement added.
The OAS observer mission to the elections here was headed by former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding. He dramatically reported on May 13th to the OAS Permanent Council that blatant rigging of the District Four count had been undertaken by the Returning Officer.
“And permit me here to pause to make a comment. I have never seen a more transparent effort to alter the results of an election,” Golding said as he put aside his prepared statement, which was heard by a number of ambassadors to the OAS, including Guyana’s Riyad Insanally.
“You know it takes an extraordinarily courageous mind [he gave a hint of a laugh as he said those two words] to present fictitious numbers when such a sturdy paper trail exists,” Golding added.