I will accept any declaration without condition - Granger
President David Granger has said that he will accept any declaration of the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh SC, CCH and that such acceptance is not conditional. He was, at the time, responding to questions during the commissioning of the new Infectious Diseases Hospital, recently retrofitted out of the Ocean View Hotel property at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.
The question pointed to the President – leader of APNU+AFC – was, given the party’s stance on valid votes, whether he would accept a declaration which includes votes he considers invalid. To this, he responded “With respect, my statement on compliance with the declaration wasn’t conditional. I didn’t say if the rain is falling or the sun is shining. You know, if it comes by day or by night. I am obliged to observe the declaration of the Chairman of the Election Commission.”
The national vote recount shows that Granger’s coalition has lost its bid for reelection to government. The party has staunchly opposed and frustrated a declaration on the basis of the recount results. In response, the international community and large sections of the Guyanese community have called on Granger to concede. Addressing his failure to concede, Granger reiterated an earlier statement, which held that he cannot concede, since no declaration has been made
“I pay attention to what the popular media say. As far as the groundswell is concerned, everybody knows… I’ve been saying over and over again that I will abide by the declaration by the Election Commission. I will abide by the rulings of the court. People can rightfully challenge a ruling if they disagree with it. Once the Court has finally ruled, we will obey the ruling of the Court.” He said that the groundswell is not a legitimate statement of the law or the Constitution, and that he will follow the Constitution and the Court. “I await the decision of the Commission,” the President said. “I cannot follow the groundswell.”
(Kaieteur News)