Harmon says Granger will not concede – Granger yet to comment
“For those persons who are calling for Mr. Granger to concede, that is not going to happen!” Those are the words of APNU+AFC campaign manager, Joseph Harmon, from an interview on the Linden radio station 104.3 Power FM. Kaieteur News understands that the interview was broadcast across several stations in Guyana and across the region.
Harmon’s comments are the first response from an executive of the Coalition to the numerous calls which have been made for President David Granger, the Coalition’s presidential candidate, to admit his loss. Despite Harmon’s comments, Granger is yet to address the public on what decision he will take. The results of the recount show that the PPP/C got 233,336 valid votes, ahead of the Coalition’s 217,920 valid votes. Questions about conceding have been pointed to Granger since the CARICOM Scrutineer Team stated in their report that the recount results are completely acceptable and should form the basis of a declaration.
Granger had touted the CARICOM team’s competence and ability on multiple occasions before the publication of the report, stating that CARICOM is the “most legitimate interlocutor” on the Guyana situation. However, since the report revealed CARICOM’s rejection of the Coalition’s efforts to discredit the March 2 polls, Granger has been absent from the media space, and has refused to respond to questions about whether he will admit defeat. Meanwhile, calls for a declaration to be made on the results of the recount continue to mount. Four influential senators on the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee just days ago called on Granger to concede. In support of the CARICOM team’s findings, calls for a declaration to be made on the results of the recount came in a joint statement from the diplomats representing America, Britain, Canada, and the European Union. Those were accompanied by similar statements from the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth, the Kingdom of Norway, and Nelson Mandela’s Elders Group. Locally, calls for Granger to concede came from several religious organizations, including the Arya Samaj community and the Centre for InterReligious Dialogue. A Washingtonbased political consultant, José Cárdenas told reporters on Saturday that he thinks Granger will do the right thing and demit office, to avoid sanctions from the US.
(Kaieteur News)