Secretary-General (SG) of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland says there is still time for the Guyana Elections Commission, including the Chairperson, the Commissioners, the Chief Elections Officer, and Returning Officer for Region Four to ensure democracy is preserved in Guyana.
She further said that if the tabulation of Electoral District Four results is not immediately and satisfactorily addressed in accordance with the ruling of the Chief Justice, then this would represent a serious violation of the fundamental political values of the Commonwealth.
In a statement to the media today, the SG said that the Commonwealth Charter, to which Guyana ascribes, recognises the inalienable right of individuals to participate in democratic processes, in particular through free and fair elections in shaping the society in which they live.
She noted that the Chief Justice (CJ) Roxane George’s ruling was unambiguous that public and transparent tabulation of the Statement of Polls is required to ensure the credibility of the process and address continued contentions regarding the tabulation and declaration of election results.
“I am deeply concerned that the Returning Officer for Region 4 has so far refused to comply with the ruling of the Court…The Chief Justice[‘s ruling] leaves no doubt that the Returning Officer for Region 4 is now required to ensure that all those present can transparently view the actual Statement of Polls during the tabulation process. The tabulation of results in Region 4 must be fully conducted in accordance with the ruling of the Acting Chief Justice,” the SG said.
Her statement comes at the same time, that the Commonwealth, European Union, and The Carter Center Observer missions issued a joint statement saying that they are “deeply” concerned about the continued lack of transparency in the ascertainment of results for Region 4.
“The orders issued with the judgement should be complied with, and the tabulation process conducted and concluded accordingly. Unless and until this is done in Region 4, the election results cannot be considered credible,” the observers noted.
