PPP and PNCR using press conferences to squabble over electoral fraud claims

Apr 28, 2023 News

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Kaieteur News – The ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPPC) and the Opposition led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) over the past two weeks have been involved in a political squabble over the holding of the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGEs).

Both parties are accusing each other of fraudulent conduct with regard to the local government polls. At his press conference held on Thursday, Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo dedicated a significant portion of his press conference to speak about the APNU and its alleged fraudulent acts geared at railroading the LGEs. As part of his contention, the VP urged the country to read the recently released Commission of Inquiry (COI) report into the March 2020 Regional and General Elections.

Jagdeo said, “There isn’t a single instance when the PPP was ever accused of rigging an entire elections…That is the legacy of the PNC… we know now when they are exposed, they keep falling back on what is familiar to them which is the list is bad and the PPP is committing fraud. This is not new, so Mr. Norton has a major problem.”

With regard to the LGES, the VP said that the opposition agents are on the ground terrorising the people of Region Five. He noted that most of the allegations of fraud are made by opposition members in Region Five. They have been bullying the people there into signing forms. In one area they had a template printed at congress place telling people that they didn’t sign the list. He claimed that some of the people signed the forms because they were fearful for their lives. Jagdeo stated that, “some of those people called me and said you know, we live in a hostile community…They would harass us and our children so we choose to do this but we are still very supportive of the PPP.  So if the matter is reported to the police as a fraud and you match the signatures, you would easily see that the signatures match actual signature and that is in one particular area in Berbice.” He continued that in another case where they are saying that they dead people on the list, the person who is the husband of the deceased is part of team and he is campaigning with us. “The problem is that his wife died a few weeks ago and the persons were not vigilant enough to take off her name off the list. A lot of the signing of names on the list were done since last year when we though local government elections would have been held.” The VP claimed that 99 percent of the allegations made by APNU against the government can be proven as untrue.

In a similar tone and language, APNU officials at its weekly press briefing held at the Office of the Opposition Leader on Thursday spent an extensive period accusing the PPP of electoral fraud. In its press statement, the party alleged that most Guyanese have learnt from the evidence that the submissions of the PPP contain numerous instances of forgery, fakery, impersonation and blatant electoral fraudulent acts.

“These blatant acts of fraud by the PPP amount to an orchestrated attempt to rig the 2023 LGE. They expose the PPP’s desperation and waning popularity among the Guyanese people. Worse, they are high criminal acts that must be punished by the full force of the law,” the party said in the statement.

The opposition party also claimed that the PPPC agents have engaged in intimidating nominators to remove their names from the APNU lists, coercing and threatening persons to support the PPP or otherwise lose their jobs and hand-outs, and compelling ten-day workers to participate in PPP political activities.

According to the party, many of the affected persons have written to, or have directly approached, GECOM regional offices and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to lodge complaints. “On our part, the APNU has written to the Commissioner of Police to request a meeting to present the evidence and to demand that the police take action against the fraudsters and their controllers at Freedom House,” the party said adding that GECOM is suggesting that they cannot investigate the illegalities that the PPP is involved in. “It is apposite to note that the responsibility for ensuring free and fair elections lies squarely at the feet of GECOM.

It is therefore a dereliction of duty on GECOM’s part if it fails to engage the Guyana Police Force to take legal action against the perpetrators of electoral fraud. By GECOM’s action, the credibility of LGE 2023 is in question and should not proceed until an investigation is done into the irregularities involving the PPP and its activists,” the Opposition Spokesperson said.

“It must be noted here that Justice Claudette Singh, Chairman of GECOM has removed all pretensions of being independent and interested in free and fair elections. It should be evident to all that she is a pawn of the People’s Progressive Party and can never deliver free, fair and credible elections. She has made herself an enemy of fair play and democracy and therefore is unsuited to be Chairman of GECOM. She should do the decent thing and resign,” Opposition Spokesperson continued.

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• A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Bharrat Jagdeo, Guyana Police Force (GPF), Local Government Elections (LGEs), People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPPC)

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