Even though the recount proves that the PPP/C has won the elections by over 15,000 votes, leader of the APNU/AFC, David Granger, and his colleagues in government are still grasping at straws that the GECOM declaration will keep them in power.
How? Either by declaring that the elections were null and void due to alleged and unsubstantiated anomalies and fraud or by contenting that if the 80,000 + alleged fraudulent votes were included (or excluded), then the APNU/AFC would have won the elections. In addition to being hazy, the argument of the APNU/AFC is also confusing and contradictory at this juncture.
Many of the voters whom the APNU/AFC had accused of being dead or migrated have come out on social media with their ID cards to prove that they are very much alive and residing in the country. Some have even threatened lawsuits against the APNU/AFC for wrongful accusations.
At the start of the recently concluded 34-days recount, the APNU/AFC officials had claimed that the recount would prove once again the victory which they had fraudulently declared on March 4th, 2020. However, towards the final days of the recount, the APNU/AFC changed its narrative – from winning the elections to the elections being null and void due to inconsistencies, anomalies and fraud.
All of this comes against a backdrop of a conglomerate of international powers calling on Guyana and Guyanese to respect the results of the recount. The OAS, United States Ambassador, European Union and even US Congressmen have all stated that Guyana’s recent elections have dragged on for too long and that Guyana needs a democratic government now more than ever. These international powers have called on Guyana to swear in a democratic government based on the recount results.
However, the David Granger administration seems bent on taking the Guyanese people down another long road of frustration – even going as far as suggesting new elections might be necessary – an outcome that would not only bankrupt the country’s economy, but frustrate the population.
Given all of the above, it would be understandable that the GECOM chairperson, Ms. Claudette Singh, is under great psychological pressure in declaring the outcome of the March 2, 2020 elections – which now hangs in the balance.
Ms. Singh is evidently under immense pressure from the incumbent government to either declare the elections null and void or declare the APNU/AFC the winner due to electoral fraud allegedly perpetuated by the PPP/C.
And at the same time, the GECOM chair is under immense pressure from the PPP/C and all small parties in Guyana, as well as a conglomerate of international powers which include the OAS, Canada, United States and Commonwealth, to declare the PPP/C the winner based on the recount results.
Mr. David Granger has urged Guyanese to wait for the conclusion of the four-stage process:
- Recount
- Report to be submitted by Chief Elections Officer and CARICOM.
- Examination of the reports by GECOM.
- Declaration of the outcome of the elections by GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh.
A few days from today, the words pronounced by Ms. Singh will determine whether Guyana erupts into protests and catapults into chaos or moves forward in glory.
Let’s pray for Retired Justice Claudette Singh that God gives her the strength and wisdom to endure these circumstances and make the right decision which will bring the respect of the international community and prosperity for all Guyanese.
