–is on a mission to distort facts, Jagdeo says

WITH a 75 per cent increase in the number of seats at the local government polls when compared to the 2018 elections, Party General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has expounded on the massive victory that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has achieved, and expressed pity that despite there being credible records, the Opposition is still bent on spreading lies.

Calling out the leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Aubrey Norton for attempting to distort the truth, Jagdeo maintained that the PPP has made significant gains in Opposition strongholds.

Remarking that, “APNU can’t change facts,” he stated that the PPP secured 906 out of the 1,220 seats at the polls, which is an increase from 779 seats in 2018.

In addition to this, Jagdeo claimed that the Opposition has suffered a tremendous defeat, because APNU, when merged with the Alliance for Change (AFC) in 2018, only got 390 seats.

Furthermore, he stood firm on the position that his party will not stand by and allow the Opposition to spread lies and mislead the population, given the recent claims in the media by APNU members.

Underscoring the bizarre assertions by APNU, Jagdeo said: “They are saying to people in this country that they’ve won these elections, and they made great inroads, and that the PPP did not achieve what it set out to do.”

While relating the evident victory of securing 66 out of 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs), Jagdeo said: “By any definition, anywhere in the world, 75 per cent is a massive win.”

DEBUNKING THE LIES

Among several lies being peddled by the Opposition, in an effort to cushion not only the dwindling support, but also the massive defeat, Jagdeo quashed the claims that APNU won Plegt Anker in East Bank Berbice, which is traditionally a PPP stronghold.

Despite APNU winning by a narrow margin of five votes, he noted that there were five ballots that were tendered, which is why the PPP requested a recount.

Jageo remarked: “So, if GECOM accepts this that Plegt Anker constituency will be tied, then you’ll probably have to have a runoff.”

Jagdeo further revealed that what APNU failed to mention is that although they won Kortberaadt East in the 2018 polls, they lost it in the 2023 elections. He also disclosed that in the 2023 polls, while the PPP secured 39 of the Proportional Representation (PR) votes, APNU only secured 21 in Plegt Anker itself.

“They didn’t make major inroads in Plegt Anker; in fact, we flipped one of their constituencies, Kortberaadt, easily,” he said.

Additionally, the PPP General Secretary debunked the delusion that APNU had a “whitewashed” victory in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), arguing that the PPP had won several of the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) in the area.

In an effort to illustrate the major success of the PPP, Jagdeo reflected on the fact that in 2018, while his party only secured two votes in the No. 5 Village, which is a traditional APNU stronghold, in the 2023 polls the PPP got a whopping 206 votes.

Along with the increase in seats in ‘C’ Field, Jagdeo also discussed how, despite his party’s inability to field candidates in places like Blairmont and Hamlet/Chance in 2018, they were able to gain votes in the 2023 elections.

Additionally, he stated that the PPP made significant gains in strongholds like Constituencies One and Two in Buxton.

“So, we picked up even in their strongholds,” the PPP General Secretary affirmed.
Jagdeo then talked about the massive victory by his party in Georgetown, a traditional APNU stronghold.
Based on the results published by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the PPP/C has won five of the 15 constituency seats on the 30-seat Georgetown Council.

The PPP/C gained two more seats than the three it won in 2018, which is a step forward for the party in local government in Georgetown.

In addition to keeping Constituencies Two (Kitty North, Central and South Subryanville) and Three (Bel Air Gardens, Bel Air Springs, Prashad Nagar, North East and North West), the party has also gained new footholds in Constituencies One (Kingston East and West, Thomas Lands, Non Pariel Park, Cummingsburg); Four (Lamaha Gardens, Newtown, Campbellville, Section K Campbellville, Bel Air); and Seven (Bourda-Stabroek, Central Lacytown).

“You got a thrashing in your stronghold,” Jagdeo said before explaining that the Opposition should be worried about the decrease in votes and support, especially with the higher turnout.