LAW-ABIDING Guyanese dread with great trepidation the onset of each electoral season, especially when the PPP — or the PPP jointly with its partners in civil society the PPP/C– achieves victory at the polls. This is because the sore losers have no qualms in creating unease if it cannot wrest power, by fair means or foul – mainly foul — through proven pro-PNC GECOM manipulation of the electoral process.

The March 2020 elections proved no different. All foreign and local observers; all GECOM officials — including Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, Chairperson Justice (R’td) Claudette Singh and leaders of all the contesting political parties, with no exceptions – not even the caretaker president and leader of the PNC, David Granger, declared that the elections were conducted fairly and transparently. The statements of polls (SoPs) were posted outside every polling station, with copies supplied to GECOM and the various political parties.

All the political parties knew that the PPP/C had won the elections within hours after closing of the polls; but, as per constitutional diktat, they waited on GECOM for the declaration, which was not forthcoming until after five months.

Dr. Irfaan Ali was sworn in as Executive President of the Republic of Guyana on August 2, 2020; but within that interim period the citizens – of every divide, endured great agony, despair and an ever-increasing erosion of hope and faith – until the intervention of U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, factored into the equation.
Over the five months preluding the declaration of the PPP/C’s victory, the losing coalition partners held two victory rallies, consequent upon the Region Four Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo’s fraudulent declarations – twice, based on false configurations of Region Four results, which were signed by two PNC officials, once by the PNC Chairperson, Volda Lawrence, and the other reportedly by a Region Five PNC official, Carol Joseph, which constituted electoral fraud. These events were all witnessed by national, regional and international observers, envoys of the USA, Canada, the UK, the EU; and representatives of the various political parties; and they were widely circulated in local and social media, with the world witnessing the fracas.

A BBC report published on March 6, stated, inter alia: “Guyana election: U.S. concerned over ‘electoral fraud.’ Granger had said he was ready to serve for five more years
It continued, “The U.S. and other countries say they are concerned by ‘credible allegations’ of fraud in Guyana’s election. U.S. Western Hemisphere affairs official Michael Kozak said no candidate should declare victory or be sworn in ‘while serious questions remain.’

“In their joint statement on Friday, U.S., British, Canadian and EU officials said they were worried about alleged electoral fraud influencing the results of the 2 March vote.
“We call on President Granger to avoid a transition of government which we believe would be unconstitutional, as it would be based on a vote tabulation process that lacked credibility and transparency, the statement had said.
“International observers earlier expressed concerns, saying vote counting for Region Four – the most populous electoral district – was ‘interrupted and remains incomplete’.”
Although GECOM and the coalition parties claimed victory for the APNU+AFC, both refused to release their SoPs to authenticate their assertions.
“Nearshore Americas” reported “Guyana to recount votes amid growing outcry over alleged electoral fraud.”
“Guyana has begun counting votes for the second time, with both the ruling party and opposition agreeing to a complete recount under the supervision of a team representing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

“Nevertheless, tension is still running high, as the ruling party supporters are celebrating on the streets of [the] capital Georgetown after the Friday announcement by the country’s Elections Commission that President David Granger had won the second five-year term.
“A team from the CARICOM has promised that it would determine the real winner and help restore peace in the country.
“The ruling party in Guyana apparently agreed to recount the votes after several foreign countries indicated that they would impose economic sanctions if David Granger is sworn in without a valid recount.
“I’ve spoken directly to both the President and Leader of the Opposition, and they have both committed to abiding by the results of a fair and transparent recount of each and every ballot, as supervised by the CARICOM team,” stated Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Chairman of CARICOM, in a statement.”
Man of the hour, former and current Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall and his legal team won a series of legal challenges brought by PNC litigants in attempts to truncate the electoral process that would eventuate in a PPP/C victory; and they even successfully challenged undemocratic actions by the coalition partners and GECOM, up to the CCJ, to restore a democratic transition of government, to no avail – until Big Brother stepped in.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for a “quick and credible conclusion” to the final recount of the votes cast on March 2 at Guyana’s General and Regional Elections.
A video of Pompeo’s comments was tweeted by Michael Kozak, acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, who had been commenting on the election process in Guyana and had summoned Guyana’s ambassador in Washington, Riyad Insanally to a meeting expressing America’s dissatisfaction with the Guyana government’s then apparent preparations to proceed with an inauguration of incumbent David Granger based on the (fraudulent) declaration by Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.
Along with stakeholders and the indefatigable efforts of the “defenders of democracy”; as well many other friends of Guyana – nationally, regionally and internationally — three powerful women stood resolutely in defence of Guyana’s democracy: U.S. and Canada’s envoys, Sarah Ann Lynch, Lilian Chatterjee, and CARICOM’s Mia Mottley: Guyana will never forget.
But it was the Mike Pompeo factor – sanctions he began imposing against the malefactors of the elections — that engendered the capitulation of GECOM into declaring the PPP/C as winners of the March 2020 elections and the swearing in of Dr. Irfaan Ali as President of Guyana.
Protector of our democracy, Mike Pompeo, Guyana welcomes you!