WHILE the Private Sector Commission (PSC) appreciates the President’s commitment that his government will abide by the elections results once declared by the Elections Commission, the body wants greater clarity in this regard.

In a release on Thursday, the PSC was specific in its request for the President to state that his government will accept the overall declaration coming out of the recount and not any previously made regional declarations. “The Private Sector Commission, and we believe that we speak for the great majority of Guyanese, would have been even more assured had Mr. Granger rejected any possibility of him, his government and his party accepting the declaration of the Chief Elections Officer, which includes the fraudulent results for region 4, currently held in abeyance by the Gazetted Order for National Recount as acceptable or valid,” the release stated.

The PSC has deemed the second declaration of Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, as false although this has not been pronounced upon by the court. Added to this, while commending the President for his confidence in CARICOM to ensure that the recount is transparent and credible, the PSC has urged the President to accept the return of The Carter Center for greater reinforcement.

On May 15, the government denied a late re-entry of The Carter Center and the International Republic Institute (IRI) into the country to observe the ongoing national recount process citing CARICOM as “the most legitimate interlocutors in the Guyana situation” and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The message was conveyed by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings to United States (U.S.) Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, who had made the request. The Private Sector Commission also wants President Granger to encourage the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) to approve the request of the Elections Commission for more than the two additional counting stations recently approved. The NCTF last reported to the commission that the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) where the recount is taking place is congested and the Commission was non-compliant with a number of COVID-19 safety measures when a recent visit was paid by health officials.