The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has joined with the election observer missions from CARICOM, the hemisphere and internationally, in expressing grave concern about the processes and procedures employed in the counting of the votes in the recent Guyana elections in Region 4.
A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said it is imperative that the election authorities in Guyana count every vote in accordance with the established law, procedure and best practices so as to lend credibility to the results.
The statement said it has been a hallmark of the democratic CARICOM that each vote be counted and that such counting be done transparently and in the presence of all competing political parties and accredited independent observers. It said anything short of this will inevitably cast doubt on the results.
The statement said Guyana, as a founding member of CARICOM, is vital to the Caribbean Civilisation. And it urged urge peace and calm and called on all political leaders in Guyana to use their best effort to maintain peace and calm, to avoid violence and any consequential loss of life and property. It stressed that this is a time for statesmanship.
The statement added that the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines respects the sovereignty and independence of Guyana, and expects a resolution to the impasse over the counting of votes in Region 4 to be resolved impartially by the relevant institutions in Guyana.
It said the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines affirms its full support for the statement and approach laid out in a statement on Saturday March 7th by the Chairman of CARICOM, Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.
