–implores young people to do their assessment, not be misled by social media rantings

PEOPLE’S Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo struck a confident tone, declaring it a “great day for Guyana,” as 757,690 voters are expected to head to the polls today as he urged citizens to cement the party’s victory.

Speaking to reporters outside of the St. Paul’s Primary School, East Coast Demerara, after he casted his ballot, Dr. Jagdeo noted that based on reports he has received thus far, there are “minor glitches”, but the process remains smooth throughout the country.

He said: “We urge people to come out and vote. The PPP is very confident going into these elections, largely because of our track record and what we continue to offer to the people of this country, but elections are won on the basis of votes casted and so I urge all the PPP supporters to make sure that you get out there and vote. So far, they’ve been coming out, and that they do so early and so let’s cement this victory.”

With thousands of young-voters, especially first-timers heading to the polls today, Dr. Jagdeo appealed to the nation’s new voting generation, underscoring that the PPP/C has offered the best choice for Guyana’s prosperity and the future.

The General Secretary further pointed to the PPP’s outreach to youths across all regions and stated that because of this, the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) has become the largest youth movement with 15,000 members.

He urged the youths not to be carried away by the “short snippets on social media,” and think thoroughly about their futures and which political party offers the best choice for their prosperity at a personal level, whether it’s education, health care, job creation, owning a vehicle, home ownership, etc.

Dr. Jagdeo firmly stated that the PPP has outlined clearly development plan “that no other party can match in this country.”

He further stated that there have been some improvements since the last General and Regional Elections including the respective Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) authorities being equipped with a manual, which clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of every actor in the electoral process.

He said: “We have less room now for capricious action on the part of any actor, whether they’re party agents or staff of GECOM. And you know, we suffered a lot in 2020 because instructions were changed several times in the course of the day and during the evening and during the recount by the Chief Elections Officer, the Deputy Chief Elections Officer, and Mister Mingo, which led to a lot of confusion on election day.”

While acknowledging the minor issues, which are being promptly addressed by GECOM, Dr. Jagdeo stated: “There are several reports that are not unusual on polling day, and I do not want to elevate them to intractable problems.”