… diplomats agree
THE results for Guyana’s General and Regional Elections 2011 are reflective of the democratic spirit of the country.
This is the collective opinion of members of the Diplomatic Corps gathered yesterday at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Media Centre at the Pegasus Hotel, for the announcement of the elections results by Chief Elections Officer, Gocool Boodoo.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate, Donald Ramotar was declared  Guyana’s new President-elect just before 16:00 hrs and, while Guyanese all across the country were glued to their television sets, amidst the buzz and excitement, several of the diplomats present, took the time to share their reactions.
In an invited comment, Mexico’s Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Sandoval said, “Since this situation is something new to my country, I am trying to understand what happened; but it seems to me that the most important thing is that things were easy. This is important for the democracy of Guyana.”
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Ambassador, Dario Morandy, noted that it is commendable that the Guyanese citizens are working towards the democracy of the country.
“I think that the results are the consequence of the work of the government and the different parties. I think that this is democracy, which is the majority of the people as shown through the elections,” Sandoval explained.
Alluding to the impact of the results, the British High Commissioner, Mr Andrew Ayre, expressed the hope that all Guyanese would work together for the future development of the country.
He said, “The announcement has been made and it is important to go through the procedures that Steve Surujbally said. I think it is a good result for Guyana, and I hope that everyone works together to ensure that there is peace going forward.”
According to the American Ambassador, D. Brent Hardt, the most impressive aspect of the process was the spirit of unity among the Guyanese people.
In explaining, he stated, “A couple of days ago the votes were cast, I was very impressed with the process from the beginning, that people came together  from every ethnic group and religious background, all coming together and  working together. I saw this spirit throughout the country. Hopefully it’s a good opportunity to work together and I hope that’s what happens. We look forward to working closely with Guyana.”