As the national recount of votes cast on March 2 enters its eleventh day, Presidential Candidate of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Irfaan Ali is calling on his party’s main rival at these elections, the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), to stop misleading their supporters.
Both the major parties have claimed victory in a process that has been marred by controversy, which has its genesis in fraudulent declarations by District Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.
Subsequent challenges in the court led to a nationwide recount, which is ongoing over a stipulated 25-day period at the Arthur Chung Conference Center, Liliendaal.
Ali, in a video recorded message at the counting venue, said while his party has made public the Statements of Poll in their possession, which corresponds to a victory, the incumbent APNU+AFC has been keeping theirs away from the public’s eye, while still claiming to have won the elections.
“The APNU+AFC cannot be doing this to their supporters. They can’t be continuously misleading their supporters,” Ali said.
“I want to ensure every single APNU+AFC supporter that the People’s Progressive Party Civic and the next Government will manage in a way that will include them. They too will see their aspirations realised.”
Ali promised that a PPP Government will manage in a way that makes “all Guyanese feel included, in an equitable manner; a way in which every Guyanese is confident they can have a better future here in Guyana.”
“These are the things that matter,” Ali emphasised.
“But you cannot have a political party and leaders who want to claim that they are responsible when they continue to find ways and different excuses to sell to their support base. You (APNU+AFC) have a responsibility to be honest to your support base. You have a responsibility to let your support base to know what the truth is, and the truth is you have lost the elections.”
Ali stressed that his party’s position will be vindicated at the end of recount, thereby dispelling the “misleading narrative” by the APNU+AFC.
“The APNU+AFC should make public to their supporters immediately all their SOPs for District Number Four. The APNU+AFC government should do exactly what we’re doing- put those SOPs side by side with the SORs (Statements of Recount),” Ali asserted.
“I think the time has come for the APNU+AFC Government to be truthful to their supporters, to be honest to their supporters. I would join them in assuring their supporters like I would assure every Guyanese that they would have equal stake in our country, and our Government will work and ensure that all Guyanese feel as if they are part of the future.”
After 10 days of the recount, a total of 479 boxes have been counted.
Of the total number of boxes counted, 462 Statements of Recount were tabulated for the General Election and 464 for the Regional Election.
Today marks 75 days since Guyanese visited the 2,339 polling stations to cast their vote for a party of their choice.
