WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, has congratulated the new President of Guyana, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who was sworn in on Sunday, August 2, as Guyana’s ninth executive president, ending a five-month drawn out legal battle since the elections were held on March 2, 2020.
“The OAS has closely monitored the situation in Guyana since the polls closed on the night of March 2, 2020. We are happy that the multiple calls by the General Secretariat, national stakeholders and bilateral and multilateral partners, for the genuine results of the elections to be respected, were heard by GECOM,” an article on the OAS Website stated. “The OAS congratulates the people of Guyana for their patience. We also congratulate the GECOM Chair, Justice Ret’d Claudette Singh, for remaining true to her convictions and standing firm against the many efforts to undermine the will of the people.”
The article added: “Democracy in Guyana was put to the test in this process. Although it ultimately prevailed, it is clear there are weaknesses in Guyana’s electoral system that must be addressed. In the coming months we will issue our final report on the 2020 process with recommendations that can assist in addressing these weaknesses and avoiding a similar situation in the future.”
A former Member of Parliament and Housing Minister, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, leader of the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) coalition, was declared earlier Sunday by the Guyana Elections Commission, or GECOM. In its declaration, GECOM said the PPP/C had won the disputed March 2 presidential and regional election.
“The long-awaited announcement came after chief elections officer, Keith Lowenfield, finally submitted an elections report based on the results of a 33-day national recount that was conducted by GECOM and observed by the 15-member Caribbean Community bloc, CARICOM. The submission cleared the way for GECOM Chairwoman, retired justice, Claudette Singh to make the official elections declaration,” according to an article in the Miami Herald.
“The report shows that the PPP/C won 33 seats in Parliament to the outgoing government’s A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition’s 31,” The Herald’s article noted.
Outgoing President David Granger said his coalition will respect the elections declaration, but “will challenge the declared results lawfully, peacefully and purposefully.”
“I have stated, repeatedly, from the start of the electoral process, that the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition would respect the lawful ‘declaration’ of the Elections Commission,” Granger said in a statement. “The APNU+AFC Coalition cannot endorse a flawed Report and will continue its campaign to ensure that the votes of all Guyanese are accurately recorded, tallied and reported.”
The Guyana Chronicle reported on Wednesday, August 4, that President Irfaan Ali and the Transition Team on Monday met with members of the diplomatic corps; members of the private sector; Permanent Secretaries of all Government Ministries and key stakeholders in the national COVID-19 fight.
“The meetings were all held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), and with him during his engagement with the diplomatic community was Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo. Together they met and held talks with US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch; British High Commissioner Greg Quinn; and Canadian High Commissioner, Lilian Chatterjee,” according to the Chronicle’s article. “The President; Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips; Vice-President Jagdeo; Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall; and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Gail Teixeira also met with Permanent Secretaries of all Government Ministries. That meeting saw over 20 Permanent Secretaries in attendance.”
