All projected parliamentary parties reject talks with Granger coalition

All of the other parties projected to win seats in the National Assembly besides APNU+AFC, have rejected calls for dialogue from the David Granger-led coalition.
APNU+AFC’s position had been widely opposed by over 20 countries at a meeting last week of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Permanent Council, which called on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to declare the results of the national vote recount.

Projected parliamentary parties’ presidential candidates: [from left] APNU+AFC’s David Granger, TNM’s Asha Kissoon, LJP’s Lenox Shuman, ANUG’s Ralph Ramkarran

Following the meeting, the coalition issued a statement claiming that it “in the national interest, and with a view to maintaining stability and peace, remains open to dialogue with other political parties and stakeholders on the way forward for our country.”
It said that the “APNU+AFC coalition is prepared to act responsibly to bring a resolution to the ongoing political situation.”

However, the rest of the statement peddled misinformation about alleged electoral fraud being uncovered by the national vote recount, with the aim of discrediting it.
This is in line with the party’s narrative which aims to have the fraudulent Region Four declaration produced by Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, along with the other district declarations, stand in place of the results of the national vote recount as the basis on which a final declaration is made.
This was not lost on any of the parties which responded.

The General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, released a strongly worded statement, explaining that the party will fiercely resist the coalition’s attempt to stage a coup if Granger refuses to accept a declaration of the recount results.
“No one should be surprised as the PNC which Granger leads and which is essentially the APNU+AFC, has a history of not accepting the results of every election that they have lost since 1992.”
“If Granger and his band of riggers believe that they can continue to hang on to office after the declaration has been made,” Jagdeo said, “then they are living in a fool’s world.”

He said that the coalition statement is in clear defiance of the Chief Justice, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), GECOM and the international community, from which sanctions will escalate.
He urged Guyanese not to worry, and to work and ensure Guyana has a declaration that is reflective of the will of the people.
The PPP/C won the elections with a 15,416 vote lead ahead of the APNU+AFC.
A joinder of three parties was fortunate to win a single seat, judging from projections. It comprises the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), A New and United Guyana (ANUG), and The New Movement (TNM).

All three parties made statements separately, refusing the call for dialogue and called on Granger to concede.
TNM said it is not open to dialogue, noting that it has been calling on the coalition to concede since March.
“The New Movement notes the games your political organization has been playing since the representative for the nation, seated in parliament, passed a successful No Confidence Motion (NCM) on December 21st, 2018 (one year, seven months and three days ago). Those games have now diminished into child’s play after the 2020 General and Regional Elections (GRE).”

The party is of the view that the leadership of the coalition is not genuine and therefore, dialogue of any kind is likened unto a “stillbirth”.
“We see and foresee the games you are trying to play and the straws you’re trying to clutch at,” it said, “and we are proud to say that we will not be one of them.”
Finally, TNM called on the coalition to accept defeat and release the country “from [its] damaging grips.”
LJP said that the time for dialogue was December 22, 2018, the day after the passing of the no-confidence motion, at which an election date should have been resolved.

The President had ended up announcing a date for elections almost a year later.
The party placed on record that any dialogue with a dictatorship would only serve to legitimize the dictatorship, and added that it will only engage in constructive dialogue with a legitimately and democratically elected government.
“Should the APNU be genuinely interested in constructive dialogue,” the part said, “conceding that they have lost these elections would be viewed as a genuine first step.”

The party of Lenox Shuman also took the opportunity to reject the “disrespect” shown by the coalition for anyone who speaks out about its constant attempts to rig the elections.
It renewed its call for Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, who has staunchly aided the coalition’s attempts to rig the elections, to be fired.
ANUG called the Granger coalition’s statement duplicitous, explaining that if it were really prepared to act responsibly, it would concede.

“It is nothing short of dishonesty and another display of the duplicitous nature of the leadership of APNU+AFC to say they are prepared to act to resolve a situation, a situation which they have created and is within their power to resolve. If they are indeed prepared to act responsibly, this can be done immediately with the simple act of conceding.” ANUG stated.

Like LJP, ANUG said that it will engage in open dialogue with any legally elected government, parliamentary opposition, other political parties and stakeholders on the way forward for the country.
“Once this is done, ANUG is determined to be at the forefront of any talks putting the issues of constitutional and electoral reform high on the agenda.”