The Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland on Wednesday supported the statement of CARICOM Chair Mia Mottley who expressed concern that the country’s Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield had invalidated over 115,000 votes in a report he prepared for the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission.
Scotland said that would be contrary to the fundamental principles which are treasured by the Commonwealth family and are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter.
Scotland also reiterated, as did Mottley, that the results of the recount, which show a win for the Opposition People’s Progressive Party, represents the will of the people.
See below the Full Statement from Scotland:
The Commonwealth continues to be concerned that the 2 March 2020 General Election process in Guyana is not yet concluded. In this regard, I note and welcome today’s statement from the Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Prime Minister of Barbados, The Hon. Mia Amore Mottley, QC.
On 15 June 2020, I welcomed the CARICOM Observer Report on the recently concluded recount in Guyana. The CARICOM Report was clear that the recount results represented the will of the people of Guyana as expressed on 2 March 2020 when they exercised their right to vote.
It has recently been reported that the Chief Elections Officer has presented results to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) that do not reflect that which was certified at the end of the recount process. If this is indeed true, it would be contrary to the fundamental principles which are treasured by the Commonwealth family and are enshrined in our Commonwealth Charter.
We call on all responsible parties to consider the consequences to Guyana’s reputation as a democratic country if such an approach was allowed to stand.
We commend the people of Guyana for your continued patience and peace and we encourage you to continue to do so. The Commonwealth Charter recognises the inalienable right of individuals to participate in democratic processes, in particular through free and fair elections in shaping the society in which they live and for this right to be protected and respected.
Guyana is a valued member of our Commonwealth family and I encourage all stakeholders in Guyana to honour their constitutional duties by ensuring a fair and transparent political process.
