Guyana Elections Commission Releases Preliminary Results In Region 4 Showing APNU-AFC Victorious

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, March 14, 2020 (CMC) – The two main political entities, here, were accusing each of undermining democracy, as the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), late Friday night, released preliminary results for the disputed Region 4 in the March 2 regional and general elections.

According to the GECOM statement, the ruling coalition (APNU-AFC) — A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) — had polled 136, 057 and 130, 289 in the general and regional elections, as against 77,231 and 74, 877, respectively, for the main opposition, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

All the parties have until noon, today, to file requests for a recount.

But in separate statements, issued after GECOM announced the results — in a day, when the opposition had gone to the High Court to file a contempt of court charge against the Returning Officer for Region 4, Clairmont Mingo — the coalition said that it is pleased “democracy and the rule of law have prevailed”.

It said, 11 days after voters had cast their ballots, GECOM had “been allowed to do its work, complete the tabulation of results for District 4 and declare the results for regional and general elections in the district”.

“The District 4 declarations now pave the way for GECOM to make a full and final declaration of the elections, held in all 10 electoral districts,” the APNU-AFC said, praising the staff of the Commission “for their strength and fortitude, in the face of intimidation, threats, attacks and assault”.

“Democracy in Guyana has prevailed, even as it came under threat by forces bent on derailing the process. The APNU-AFC now calls on all political leaders to demonstrate maturity. The coalition salutes the people of Guyana for keeping the peace and remaining calm and urges that this continues,” the coalition stated.

But the main opposition party said, “in what is a clear case of fraud, provision was made for the signatures of ‘witnesses’ on the Region 4 declaration”, and that “interestingly, the only ‘witness’, who signed was the embattled APNU+AFC Coalition’s Carol Joseph”.

“This is a clear attempt to obfuscate the conspiracy between the PNCR-led APNU-AFC coalition and complicit GECOM officials – a conspiracy to perpetrate electoral fraud – which led to the signature of Volda Lawrence, appearing on last week’s fraudulent declaration for Region 4,” the PPP-C offered.