Western Diplomats Urge Calm As Guyanese Await Results Of Elections

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, March 3, 2020 (CMC) – Western diplomats urged calm, today, as the Guyana population awaits the outcome of yesterday’s regional and general elections.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is projecting that full preliminary results could be available by Wednesday, as it blamed a number of factors, including inclement weather in one of the regions, for a further delay in announcing the complete preliminary results.

Earlier today, GECOM warned of a fake website, posting results of the elections.

“Please be advised that there is a fake page, under the name, ‘Guyana’s Election Commissions’, purporting to be GECOM’s official facebook page. The page has been releasing inaccurate information, with an intent to cause mischief and confusion. Please be alert and ignore all such content. All official updates would be posted on GECOM’s official page,” GECOM warned.

United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, said while the results are critical to alleviate the anxieties among citizens, accuracy is important.

“My message is just to wait and hear the tabulations of the results, and then, when the Guyanese people have spoken, to accept those results,” she said, praising GECOM for its conduct of Monday’s polls.

“I think it was a great day yesterday, and I look forward to continued peace as the process goes on,” the US diplomat said.

British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn, who travelled to different parts of the country observing the electoral process, said GECOM must be allowed to execute its duties.

“I was here in 2015. This is my second election, the process here is slow, because of the checks and balances that go into it. I fully understand why things are slow, but at the same time, we all want results, as quickly as possible, but of course we want credible and accurate results and so, therefore, that’s the important thing. So everybody just needs to be patient and let GECOM do what GECOM needs to do,” he added.

The Canadian High Commissioner, Lilian Chatterjee, said GECOM must be commended for its work on Elections Day.

“I would like to commend GECOM on a very professional and dedicated system yesterday. Now, like everybody else, the citizens of Guyana and the rest of the world, we are anxious for those results, and let’s hope we get those results, as soon as possible”, the Canadian High Commissioner said.

Head of the European Union Delegation to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Canto, said the elections should be regarded as a celebration of democracy.

“I think it is extremely important now, that the winner, whoever it is, can form a government, as soon as possible; and the loser, whoever that is, accepts the results, and that the whole country unites to make sure that it can profit and benefit from the future it deserves,” he added.