Canada’s Assistant Deputy Minister of Global Affairs, Michael Grant via a tweet last evening, said that a recount of the ballots is necessary to ensure every vote is counted.
The official cautioned that the will of the people must be respected for Canada to recognize the legitimacy of a duly elected government.
“We’re monitoring closely the legal proceedings related to Guyana’s elections,” Grant added.
Grant’s remarks came one day after Acting Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Michael G Kozak, summoned Guyana’s Ambassador to the U.S. Riyad Insanally to convey the United States’ position that any government sworn in based on flawed election results would not be legitimate.
Kozak clarified that he did so on behalf of the U.S. government.
The official tweeted: “I summoned #Guyana Ambassador to the U.S. Riyad Insanally to convey our firm position that any government sworn in based on flawed election results would not be legitimate. Every vote must be counted”.
This is not the first time that Kozak has spoken about this issue. He had previously warned of the consequences of those who should benefit from electoral fraud.
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has also echoed similar sentiments.
In fact, he warned, “The individuals who seek to benefit from electoral fraud and form illegitimate Governments, regimes will be subject to a variety of serious consequences from the United States.”
Earlier on this week, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom (UK), Dominic Raab, in responding to the post-elections situation in Guyana, assured that the UK, along with its partners, are ready to assist in ensuring a credible process that provides the democratic outcome that the Guyanese people deserve.
In an official statement, Raab said that the transition of government in Guyana should only take place in line with transparent and democratic principles that lead to credible results.
Further to this, the Foreign Secretary warned that any government sworn in on the basis of non-credible results will face strong international condemnation.
Against this backdrop, he cautioned, that if the situation continues to deteriorate, this international response will include a range of “serious consequences’’ for those concerned.
Several members of the international community have expressed that they are in favour of a national recount of all the votes cast in the March 2 General and Regional elections. They consist of CARICOM, European Union, Organization of American States, Commonwealth Secretariat and the Carter Centre.
