Commonwealth, OAS welcome general elections vote recount

Last Updated on Monday, 16 March 2020, 17:52 by Writer

The Commonwealth and the Organisation of American States (OAS) have welcomed the decision by President David Granger to ask Caricom to help with supervising a national recount of votes cast in Guyana’s general elections earlier this month.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland says the leadership of President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo in coming to this agreement on the way forward deserves to be lauded.

Ms Scotland says she welcomes the public commitment from Justice Claudette Singh, Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), that she will facilitate the recounting of ballots; and her assurance that GECOM will cooperate fully with the Caricom Initiative.

The Secretary-General says the entire Commonwealth family look to the leaders and the people of Guyana to live up to the aspirations set out in their constitution, electoral laws, and the Commonwealth Charter.

And, the OAS, in welcoming the Caricom initiative, says its permanent representative in Guyana, Jean Ricot Dormeus, will remain engaged with the vote recount and with the overall electoral process and report to the General Secretariat.