Surujbally publicly declares Ramotar elected President
– new President pledges  to work together with all stakeholders
THE successful People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) candidate,  Mr. Donald Ramotar, was publicly declared President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana yesterday, by Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission ( GECOM ), Dr. Steve Surujbally. At the State House ceremony, Surujbally explained that it is provided in Article 89 of the Constitution that there shall be a President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana,  who shall be the Head of State, the supreme executive authority and Commander-in-Chief  of the Armed Forces of the Republic and, whereas it  is further provided by Article  91 of the  Constitution, that  the President should be elected by the people in the manner prescribed by Article 177 of the constitution .“I write to formally notify you and, acting upon the advice of the Chief Elections Officer, that, consequent to the declaration of the results made on the first December that I propose to declare you President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana,” Surujbally announced.
Continuing, Surujbally noted that, it is provided further, by Article 91 of the Constitution, that the President should be elected by the people in the manner prescribed by Article 177 of the Constitution.
He pointed out  that Article  177 : 1  of the  Constitution provides  that any list of candidates  for an election, held pursuant to the provisions of Article 60:2,  shall designate not more than one of these  candidate as presidential candidate and that an elector, voting at such an election in favour of a list shall be deemed to  also be voting in favour of the presidential candidate  named in the list.
Surujbally also said it is  provided by Article 177:2 of the Constitution  that, where there are two or more presidential candidates, if more votes are cast in favour of the list in which  a person is designated as presidential candidate, in favour of any other list, then the presidential candidate shall be deemed to be elected as president and shall be so declared by the Chairman, acting  in accordance  with the advice  of the Chief Elections  Officer, after the  advice has been tendered to the Elections Commission, at the duly summoned meeting.
And whereas the list of candidates of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) for election for members of the National Assembly, held on the 28th day of November, pursuant to Article 60:2 of the Constitution, designated Donald Ramotar as the presidential candidate for the  said election, “now, therefore, in accordance with the provisions of Article 177:2 of the Constitution, I do hereby publicly declare that Donald Ramotar, the presidential candidate, designated in the aforesaid list of the PPP/C has been elected President of the Cooperative  Republic of Guyana, here dated on this second day of December, 2011 at Georgetown, Guyana,” Surujbally  stated.
After the official declaration, the new President pledged to work together with all stakeholders for the benefit of the country.
“I am depending on the patriotism of everyone else and that we can probably work together  to get things done in the interest of the country. I hope that people will try to put our country first and be less partisan. I think if that attitude is adopted we can go forward,” Ramotar said.