RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Over three months since the regional and parliamentary elections, a recount of votes has been completed, and the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) led by Irfaan Ali has emerged as the winner, with 33 of the 65 parliamentary seats.
President David Granger’s former ruling coalition APNU/AFC won 31 seats. However, the country’s highest election commission, the GECOM, has until Saturday to officially confirm the results. Since the recount has shown a lead of about 15,500 votes for the PPP, Ali should become the next president of Guyana.
The recount was required following irregularities and the premature announcement of results in the “Block Four” electoral district immediately after the election. The opposition now believes its concerns that the APNU/AFC tried to prevent an electoral defeat through manipulation have been confirmed. However, the governing coalition around President Granger still speaks of fraud by the opposition.
People who were not even in the country or who have died are reported to have featured on electoral lists. Although Granger had pledged to accept the recount results, he and his coalition now appear to be refusing to do so. The PPP has already stated that it expects the APNU/AFC to take further legal action to challenge the results.
CARICOM, the Caribbean coalition of states, supported by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the US Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), closely monitored the recount. The ambassadors and diplomatic representatives of the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and the EU praised the procedure and called on all sides to accept its results.
Guyana is facing crucial times, after major oil and gas discoveries in recent years promise great economic growth. US company Exxon Mobil, in particular, has signed production contracts with the former government.
In coming years, 13.6 billion barrels of oil and 32 trillion cubic feet of natural gas could be produced, mainly off the coast of Guyana, but also in the region bordering Venezuela, the so-called Essequibo region.
The contracts were a central issue in the election campaign. The opposition had repeatedly called for a renegotiation of the agreements, which in their opinion were signed with conditions detrimental to Guyana.
Source: Amerika21