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Ramotar, PPP/C picket GECOM
Former President Donald Ramotar, General Secretary Clement Rohee, along with Former Ministers Irfaan Ali, Anil Nandlall, Robeson Benn and Priya Manickchand of the now Opposition of the People’s Progressive Party Civic PPP/C, staged a picketing exercise outside the headquarters of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) yesterday.
They were demanding that their votes be recounted. There were loud chants of: “Count our votes now” and “Who’s the rig worm Surujbally”. Their voices could have been heard corners away.
The protesters had gathered outside GECOM in overcast conditions as they rallied for not only a recount of the votes cast during the recently concluded National and Regional Elections held on May 11, last, but also for the resignation of the Chairman of GECOM, Dr. Steve Surujbally.
Irfaan Ali noted, “We are protesting out here to represent the rights of the people of Guyana and also representing democracy, …Elections 2015 was fraudulent; elections 2015 was rigged; elections 2015 did not represent the will of the people and we are out here to ensure that the international community and GECOM know that we are not going to let this issue die.
“We are going to go all the way with the elections petition…We want Surujbally to go; we want him to resign, because we believe strongly that he played a key role in rigging these elections.
“We want the statement of polls, the fake statements of polls and the story behind them must be told. We are asking for a national recount… What is it that they are hiding? Why is it we can’t have a recount?… The CEO (Chief Election Officer) himself said that he was not comfortable with the SOPs (Statements of Poll) and that alone in itself tells you that they were in doubt and it was not fair”.
Former President Donald Ramotar said, “This protest is to demand what GECOM has been denying us so far, a recount of the ballots…The elections were clearly rigged in many ways including the manipulation of statements of poll, and that is why we are demanding that GECOM have a recount of the votes…
“We think all stakeholders should agree to this, including the de facto Government at this time, because this is the worst type of corruption, and this is the worst type of fraud that can be perpetrated by a government that does not represent the will of the people of our country.”
During the 2011 elections, the PPP/C became the first minority government in Guyana’s history. Since then, the former government and the then opposition had been constantly butting heads over the administration of the nation.
This subsequently led to a No-Confidence Motion being filed in the National Assembly against the government and which ultimately saw early elections in Guyana. Later, the opposition forces, APNU and the AFC, coalesced to challenge the 23-year rule of the PPP/C. They emerged victorious. David Granger, the leader of the coalition, is now President of Guyana.
Former US President Jimmy Carter along with a number of international observer groups, made their way to Guyana to observe the elections. They all certified them free and fair. They lauded GECOM for the manner in which it conducted the polls.
However, former President Ramotar is insisting that this protest will continue until there is a recount of the ballots.
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