Guyana election results slow, candidate for governing party takes lead

Dr Steve Surujbally, head of Guyana Election Commission

The presidential candidate for the governing People's Progressive Party coalition in Guyana is in the lead after lagging behind the main opposition candidate as results trickled in for Monday's national election.

Early results suggested the opposition coalition - A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) - was ahead. However as more results came in it became clear that the PPP candidate was ahead and is now likely to be declared the winner.

With just over 30 per cent of the votes counted so far, the PPP/C has amassed 68,424 votes to the APNU’s 63,924.

The Alliance For Change (AFC) has 15,824 and The United Force (TUF) had 484.

The Organisation of American States (OAS), which sent an observe team to monitor the election, has urged political parties to be patient and not to release unofficial results.

“Credible and timely results are the cornerstone of any electoral process and the only official results are those released by the duly constituted electoral authority,” said Professor Gordon Shirley, Chief of Mission for the OAS Electoral Observation Mission.

“Releasing unconfirmed and unverified election results may lead to confusion among electors and party supporters and are not constructive.”

Commission Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally has appealed for calm.

“I call on the leaders of the contesting parties with whom I’ve been in dialogue not to engage in anything which could generate tension, unease or even fear in our normally peaceful society,” he said.

“I appeal to all Guyanese individually and collectively not to speak or act in any inciting manner that would cause others to react with hostility nor should anyone react to any speech or action which might carry the intent of provoking hostile reactions.”

Caricom’s 19-member Observer Mission said in its preliminary report that Monday’s poll was fair and peaceful.

“The Mission’s assessment of Election Day is that the people of Guyana were given the opportunity under good conditions to elect a government,” Caricom said in a statement.

“The officials remained calm and focused and the observation is that the process was transparent and in those circumstances electors were able to give free expressions of their feelings when casting their ballots.”

Guyana has a parliamentary system, under which the majority party's candidate assumes the presidency. The PPP is backed mainly by the Indo-Guyanese community.

The main challenger is A Partnership for National Unity, which groups the People's National Congress with several smaller parties and is supported largely by Afro-Guyanese voters.

Bharrat Jagdeo, who served two terms as leader of the country, was not eligible to seek re-election.