Georgetown, Guyana (CMC) — The main Opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) maintaining that the May 11 regional and general elections had been flawed, says it plans to embark on country-wide protest action.
In a statement, the party is also claiming that the international observers, who all agreed that the elections were free and fair, were in fact duped, without elaborating.
“The Central Committee remains convinced that based on feedback received from its Polling Agents and Statements of Poll received, it won the majority of the votes in both national and regional elections,” the party said in a statement.
Last weekend, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) said the opposition coalition alliance had won the elections.
According to GECOM, the coalition comprising A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) received 207,200 votes as compared to 202,694 for the PPP/C.
But the PPP/C said that the results declared by GECOM failed to reflect the true will of the Guyanese people and the party also reiterated its call for GECOM’s Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally to resign.
“Protest actions are also planned at all GECOM offices throughout the country to demand a total recount of all votes cast and the resignation of GECOM Chairman,” the PPP/C added.
The party said that it s presently compiling evidence to file an election petition with representation from local and international lawyers.
“Central Committee deliberated on ways to strengthen and rebrand the Party in order to be better positioned to defend the masses against the undemocratic imposition of the APNU- AFC coalition to the seat of Government,” the party said.
The Central Committee also recognised that the observers were duped into believing that the elections were free and fair, the statement said.
“The main aspect of the electoral process which was to observe the counting of ballots and the verification of statement of poll was left entirely in the hands of the GECOM officials many of who are activists and supporters of the APNU-AFC.”