Statement re: Guyana’s Elections by Mia Amor Mottley Q.C., M.P., Chairman of the Caribbean Community
The Caribbean Community calls on the electoral officials in Guyana and the representative political parties to work together to achieve a peaceful and lawful completion of the electoral process in Guyana by ensuring the tabulation of the results in all regions using the Statement of Polls in a transparent manner in the presence of the representatives of the political parties and the electoral observers.
Indeed, CARICOM issued a statement on Thursday night, and one was also issued yesterday from the Chief of the independent CARICOM Electoral Observation Team. Both statements called on GECOM to complete the electoral process.
We are very clear — every vote must be made to count, and transparently so. We have noted that all sides have been making serious allegations against each other.
It is critical that good sense prevails. The preservation of law and order is paramount, and all parties must work hard to ensure that there is peace on the roads and in the communities across Guyana. There has already been one death reported overnight. That is one death too many.
In simple language, we ask the parties to recognise that the primary consideration must not only be who will be president but, more so, who will be alive come next week or next month, for there cannot be a tolerance for any further loss of life.
I have spoken to both the President and the Leader of the Opposition and indicated that CARICOM stands ready to be able to be there to facilitate further dialogue and any actions that are necessary.
We have done this on many occasions in the past, including in Guyana, when elections have been highly contentious and when social order and the rule of law have been threatened across the region.
We are family and this is what happens when there are disputes in families.
We will work together to create the space for dialogue and resolution once there is an acceptance on the part of all parties that there is a higher interest beyond simply the result in this election.
Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley
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