US Senate Foreign Relations Committee calls on Granger to concede

Jun 27, 2020 News

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– Says recount results should be declared and transition begun

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee is calling on President David Granger to concede, since his party, the APNU+AFC coalition has lost the elections. The senators say that the results of the recount reflect the will of the people and should be used to make a declaration, before a democratic transition of power.

The statement comes from U.S. Senators Jim Risch (Republican) and Bob Menendez (Democrat), Chairman and Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, respectively; and Marco Rubio (Republican) and Ben Cardin (Democrat), Chairman and Ranking member respectively of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues.
“We share in the frustration expressed by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of American States (OAS), and other international stakeholders,” they said.
The CARICOM Chair and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley spoke in support of the report which was produced by the CARICOM Scrutineer Team, who pronounced that the elections were credible and that the recount results are “completely acceptable”.
The report drew commendation from several international organizations which had observed Guyana’s elections, including The Carter Center and the OAS, but condemnation from elements within the APNU+AFC coalition. GECOM Chair, ret’d Justice Claudette Singh had attempted to move toward a lawful declaration of the results, but was inhibited by resistance from the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield and coalition-endorsed Court action.
“Recent reports suggest,” the senators stated, “questionable maneuvers by interested parties designed to continue forestalling a final declaration of results, which members of the press say indicates a defeat for the incumbent government.”
The senators had written to the President in May to commend him for his willingness to abide by the recount results. The results of the recount show that the PPP/C has won the elections, with 233,336 valid votes, ahead of the coalition’s 217,920 valid votes.
“We extend our support and solidarity to the people of Guyana,” the Committee said, “who have borne more than their fair share of patience during this process. For their sake, the future of democracy and the rule of law in our hemisphere, the ongoing uncertainty and gamesmanship must end.”
Democratic Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, a member of the lower rung of America’s bicameral legislature, had made comments divergent from this. Two weeks ago, Clarke had expressed concern about foreign interference in Guyana’s electoral process.
The Brooklyn Congresswoman is quoted as saying, “We know what’s at stake in Guyana right now. It’s not just the sovereignty, it’s the wealth. We have some corrupted, I called them pirates governing the United States right now. And I’m very concerned about undue influence of corporations and entities outside of Guyana determining the fate of the Guyanese people. That cannot happen. I would encourage everyone, Guyanese Americans, to let your voices be known.”
Clarke’s colleague, fellow New York Democrat Congressman Hakeem Jeffries had made similar comments back in May, when he condemned foreign interference in Guyana’s elections. Jeffries had drawn a connection between the Ukraine scandal, in which US President Donald Trump has sought to gain information on Democratic rival, Joe Biden, and his position on the Trump administration’s current policy on Guyana’s elections.
“The Ukrainians,” Jeffries stressed, “shouldn’t be involved in an American election, the Chinese shouldn’t be involved in an American election, the Russians shouldn’t be involved in an American election – that’s a settled principle. At the same time, if we are alarmed at foreign interference in our electoral process, why in the world is the United States government engaging in foreign interference in the affairs of an independent nation in Guyana? It’s outrageous.”

While both Jeffries and Clarke have condemned what they consider foreign interference in Guyana’s affairs today, their view on the matter seem to have changed since 2015, when they urged the US government to investigate then President Donald Ramotar after he had dissolved Parliament to avoid a No Confidence Motion.

Most notably, yesterday’s statement said clearly: “President Granger should honor the will of the Guyanese people and concede.”

This coming from a bipartisan group of members from the Foreign Relations Committee is the strongest single intervention yet from the US legislature, and one that both Democrats and Republican agreements have found rare consensus in agreeing with White House policy on.

 

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