U.S Sec. of State Mike Pompeo urges ‘quick’ conclusion to vote recount

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday urged for a “quick and credible” conclusion to the national recount of votes cast in Guyana on March 2.

“We look forward to a quick and credible conclusion to the vote recount in Guyana. We expect transparent and credible outcomes in the legislative elections in Suriname as well,” the U.S Secretary of State said during a press conference Wednesday in the U.S.

This is Pompeo’s third statement on Guyana’s electoral process; on April 7, he said the U.S. government looks forward to working with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the international observer community on the recount of votes to ensure that the process is “free, fair, transparent and credible.”

And on March 9 – days after the elections – Pompeo tweeted that he spoke with the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, Chrystia Freeland about “support for democratic transition in Guyana.”

The 35-day recount of votes cast in all Regions showed that the Opposition People’s Progressive Party won the elections by 15,416 votes; GECOM is expected to make a declaration soon.