Commonwealth Secretary-General underlines validity of recount results
Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral Patricia Scotland yesterday added to the chorus of international voices expressing concern over the delay in finalizing the March 2nd election result and she said that figures presented by the Chief Election Officer different from those of the recount would be “contrary to the fundamental principles which are treasured by the Commonwealth family and are enshrined in our Commonwealth Charter”.
In a statement, Scotland said that the Commonwealth continues to be concerned that the elections process is still to be concluded. In this regard, she noted and welcomed yesterday’s statement from the Chair of CARICOM,
Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley which expressed concern about delay and cited “gamesmanship” in the elections process. (See other story on page 3.)
Scotland noted that on June 15th 2020, she welcomed the CARICOM Observer Report on the recently concluded recount in Guyana.
The CARICOM Report, she said was clear that the recount results represented the will of the people of Guyana as expressed on 2 March 2020 when they exercised their right to vote.
“It has recently been reported that the Chief Election Officer has presented results to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) that do not reflect that which was certified at the end of the recount process. If this is indeed true, it would be contrary to the fundamental principles which are treasured by the Commonwealth family and are enshrined in our Commonwealth Charter”, Scotland said.
Violation of the Commonwealth Charter can have serious consequences for Guyana. The country is already under the scrutiny of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group which could take a series of actions including a recommendation for the expulsion of Guyana from the Commonwealth.
“We call on all responsible parties to consider the consequences to Guyana’s reputation as a democratic country if such an approach was allowed to stand.
“We commend the people of Guyana for your continued patience and peace and we encourage you to continue to do so. The Commonwealth Charter recognises the inalienable right of individuals to participate in democratic processes, in particular through free and fair elections in shaping the society in which they live and for this right to be protected and respected”, Scotland said.
She added that Guyana is a valued member of the Commonwealth family and “I encourage all stakeholders in Guyana to honour their constitutional duties by ensuring a fair and transparent political process”.