Following the Guyana Elections Commission’s (Gecom) decision to suspend verification of Region Four votes despite a pertinent High Court ruling, Acting Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael G. Kozak, sought to send a strong message to the powers that be. On his Twitter handle, the Senior US diplomat said that de facto regimes do not receive the same treatment from the US as democratically elected governments.
He stated, “Under U.S. law and practice those who participate and benefit from electoral fraud, undermine democratic institutions and impede a peaceful transition of power can be subject to a variety of consequences.”
Further to this, the official said that the US joins the Guyanese people and the international community in calling for Guyanese election authorities to follow accepted procedures and allow international election observers to verify the results.
Kozak said it is essential that the High Court-mandated elections tabulation in Guyana be concluded in a free, fair, and transparent manner.
Kozak’s comments were also reposted by the US Embassy in Guyana via its Facebook page.
