No more election rigging in Guyana- Pres Ali

Last Updated on Friday, 23 February 2024, 13:08 by Denis Chabrol

President Irfaan Ali Thursday night said election rigging as a means to political power would not be allowed to return to Guyana.

“Guyana’s harrowing experience with dictatorship stands as a stark reminder of the perils of rigged elections. That era is a closed chapter in our history,” he said in his address to usher in Guyana’s 54th Republic anniversary at a modest flag raising ceremony in the forecourt of Parliament Building.

His comments came less than one week after former People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) General Secretary, Hamilton Green said at a public symposium that was held to mark the 101st birth anniversary of its Founder-Leader that “If, as I told one of the groups that I met this (last Friday) morning they say he rigged elections, I say we should keep rigging to save us from these devils, these bastards, these demons that we have.”

President Ali said subverting  the will of the people through attempts to regulate actions, or to justify the rigging of elections impairs democratic principles.

“Those who advocate for and justify the rigging of elections represent the epitome of moral bankruptcy,” he said.

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton earlier Thursday said Mr Green’s words were taken out of context because “if” was omitted from Mr Green’s quote.

That is untrue.

The PNCR also seized the opportunity to lash out once again at Dr Ali’s People’s Progressive Party for allegedly rigging the 2020 general and regional elections. The opposition has been calling relentlessly for a fresh or clean voters list and biometric identification of voters at polling stations in the 2025 general and regional elections. The government has since amended the Representation of the People Act to provide for clear and precise procedures for counting and declaration of results, but has refused to yield to demands for constitutional and other legislative amendments until after constitutional reform.

The PNCR had also recalled that the PPP had submitted the names of dead persons for the Local Government Elections.

The PPP had counter-accused the PNCR-led coalition of A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change of attempting to  rig the 2020 elections.

Observers from key Western nations, international observer missions, Caribbean Community and international organisations had criticised the PNCR-led coalition administration and the Guyana Elections Commission for several declarations in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and reluctance to accept the results of the national vote recount.

That vote recount had closely mirrored the Statements of Poll for votes counted on polling day. The opposition has so far not released its Statements of Poll.