US expands list of persons facing visa ban
The United States Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael Kozak, has announced that the American Government has expanded its pool of persons facing visa restrictions for undermining Guyana’s democracy, or for being complicit. He also called the David Granger coalition’s position on the elections a “farce” as it has been claiming that the results of the recount, which shows it lost, are not credible. In a press briefing yesterday, Kozak related that the US Government has taken steps to advance democracy in the Western Hemisphere, which he called “the hemisphere for freedom.” US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, had announced the first tranche of restrictions on July 15 “on individuals responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Guyana”, after which US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch reiterated the support the US places behind the transparent and credible national vote recount.
The recount results show that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) has won the elections.“The Secretary’s been clear,” Kozak said, “The Granger administration and its allies continue to defy the will of the Guyanese people by refusing to accept the vote count. The count has been certified as valid by international observers OAS and CARICOM, Guyana’s and the Caribbean’s highest courts.” Kozak pointed to the Inter-American Democratic Charter as the document which binds the countries of the Americas and the Caribbean to democracy.
“We’ve been working with our partners and through the [Organization of American States] OAS,” Kozak said, “to stand up for democracy where it is under threat, and at the same time we’re trying to turn the tide in those countries where democracy is but a dream.” Kozak said that the US joins the rest of the region “refusing to go along with this farce.” “We will continue,” he added, “to act until the Granger administration accepts the will of Guyanese voters.” The announcement came on the same day that Guyana’s Appeal Court made a unanimous ruling which iterated, amongst other things, that the recount results must be used for a final declaration.
(Kaieteur News)