Jul 12, 2020 News
In its strongest statement yet, the Organisation of American States (OAS) has condemned Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, for his repeated attempts to frustrate the democratic process, arguing that he is acting in bad faith and contrary to the interest of democracy in Guyana.
The CEO continues to flout the instructions of the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh- for him to present a report on the results of the national vote recount.
Lowenfield has yet again attempted to present results to GECOM which do not reflect the recount’s findings.
“There can be no justification for this action,” the OAS stated yesterday.
Though the recount has shown the PPP/C to have taken the lead with 233,336 votes, ahead of the APNU+AFC coalition’s 217,920 votes, Lowenfield’s falsified report seeks to place the coalition in the lead with 236,777 votes ahead of the PPP/C’s 229,330 votes.
The numbers largely resemble those of the declarations held in abeyance by the Elections Commission, including the fraudulent March 13th declaration produced by Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.
“Let us be very clear,” the OAS stated. “The only democratic solution for Guyana at this time is respect for the results of the national recount. No other figures – neither those prepared prior to the recount, nor those recently invalidated by the Caribbean Court of Justice, nor any others that may be unilaterally devised by the Chief Elections Officer – can have any place in the final determination of results. A new electoral process is also an unacceptable solution.”
The OAS General Secretariat intends to report on the developments in Guyana to the OAS Permanent Council. The Council has immediate responsibility for directing the Organisation’s ongoing actions, and is one of two political bodies of the OAS, alongside the General Assembly.
Guyana could face being ejected from the 35-member state as part of sanctions if an illegal president is sworn in.
The OAS reminded that the Inter-American Democratic Charter notes the responsibility of the hemisphere to seek after good democracy. Article 1 of that Charter states that “The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it.”
“It is past time,” the OAS stated, “that the current leaders of Guyana comply with their democratic responsibilities and allow the newly elected government to take its place.”