Elections were free, fair and credible – Private Sector Commission

By Gomatie Gangadin

Five of the 14 local observers, which were accredited for Monday’s General and Regional Elections, have given thumbs up to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the hosting of what they described as “free and fair elections”.

The five local observer missions comprising of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), the Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB), the British High Commission, the United States Embassy and the Canadian High Commission have all given GECOM thumbs up for the recently held National and Regional Elections.

Speaking at a press conference at the PSC Tuesday afternoon, Chairman of the Commission Ramesh Persaud told media operatives that the PSC was particularly pleased with the holding of the General and Regional Elections this year.

“I was particularly pleased with the consistency I have seen across the country with regards to the application of the rules and policies by GECOM…we are happy with what we have seen in the entire GECOM process yesterday (Monday). We have a lot of confidence in the process and the rules, in our opinion from what we were observing, were consistent across. It seems as though it was a franchise system seemingly applied at all areas, and we believe that that is fantastic. It has only served to increase our confidence in the process,” Persaud said.

He noted that the observers did not find any material evidence that can possibly affect the results of the polls in any way.

Meanwhile, Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Nicole Giles, said that the conduct of the Guyanese people should be applauded. “I found that the enthusiasm that was displayed by the voters in the elections was very commendable and in many ways, humbling. I found it inspiring that Guyanese voters patiently waited in line to take their turn to cast their ballots and let their voices be heard, and I think that all Guyanese should be commended for that,” the Canadian High Commissioner said.

According to her, it was her belief that GECOM organised a smooth, credible, free and fair electoral process, even as she urged Guyanese to practice patience in being able to receive the results of the process. “It takes time and we need to give GECOM the space and time to do that, and to also keep in mind that the official results are coming out must be from GECOM.”

United States (US) Charge d’ affaires to Guyana Bryan Hunt told media operatives that he believes, in no doubt whatsoever, that the elections were free, fair and credible. He noted that the election process could not be faulted as no irregularities were discovered by the 68 member team. “What Guyana had yesterday was a free, fair and credible polling process.”

He noted that the electoral system of the country, while time consuming, was designed to guarantee credibility and, as such, citizens must trust and accept the results of the process.

British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn, also expressed similar sentiments. He noted that should the parties refuse to accept the results, there are measures which are in place to deal with such, but underlined that everything should be done in a peaceful manner. “Everything was being done diligently…We need to give GECOM the time it needs; everybody needs to accept the results. Any problems, there is a judicial process. What this country needs, and what this Government wants, is a country which can represent everybody here,” the diplomat shared.

Meanwhile, the British High Commissioner, the US Charge d’affaires, Canadian High Commissioner and the Private Sector Commission Chairman, all praised the efforts and response of the Police Force, especially at the unrest which prevailed in Sophia on Monday evening. PSC Chairman Persaud also said that the Police should be credited for ensuring that the process was incident free.

Sophia residents of C Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, erupted on Monday evening, transforming the community into a virtual warzone over allegations of electoral impropriety by a political activist. In the ensuing battle, five cars, one minibus and a house, along with a horse stable were burnt. The violence stemmed from allegations that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) member Narine Kooblall, had taken ballot boxes into his home and was keeping them there. Residents stormed Kooblall’s home, attempting to set it ablaze. All of the officials have issued a call to the Guyanese public to remain calm, peaceful and to accept the results of the elections.