Opposition parties say elections have been seized and hijacked

Opposition political parties Thursday evening bandied together to condemn the unverified declaration of Region Four results in Monday’s general and regional elections which they say was bloated to have the APNU+AFC Coalition be declared the winner of the elections.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has not officially proclaimed the winner of the elections; the PPP said the Statements of Poll show that it has won.

“APNU+AFC tonight are celebrating a farcical, fraudulent victory. They have committed an abomination against Guyanese and democracy – our fledgling democracy,” said accountant Nigel Hinds, the chairman of the new party Change Guyana.

He was speaking at a press conference hosted by the PPP, Change Guyana, A New and United Guyana (ANUG), The New Movement (TNM) and the United Republic Party (URP), and the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP).

“This is an embarrassment – this entire process that we have all sat here and witnessed as a democratic nation, as the entire world has watched this emerging oil giant have its first elections after such a monumental discovery to be sitting here at this table now and speaking on the brink of a dictatorship,” said Kian Jabour, representing ANUG.

“We are in a deep hole, in an abyss, that APNU+AFC has placed us in,” added Hinds .

“We believe that the elections have been seized and hijacked,” said Rawle Aaron of the small United Republican Party.

“There is a plot to steal the elections and it is unfolding before our very eyes,” said Bharrat Jagdeo, leader of the main opposition PPP.

“If we are lucky, and if leverage is brought to bear – and it would only be brought to bear by the international community – because in this room, and in this town, and in this country, there is no leverage,” said Timothy Jonas, Chairman of ANUG.

“There is no harm in a country greater than electoral fraud,” Jonas added in calling for the diplomatic community to issue more serious statements against what has happened.

“This is a cry from the people of Guyana, from citizens, saying, ‘my democratic right has been taken away from me and I am being forced to accept a decision that was not valid.’

“…we would like it to be free and fair,” said Dr Asha Kissoon, Presidential Candidate of TNM.

“We are falling into a state of dictatorship, and every Guyanese could see this. If you know what is good for yourself, what’s good for your country, you also need to stand up for it,” added Kissoon.

“I find it very disturbing that the APNU/AFC can move to a declaration without credible information at this point,” said Lenox Shuman, Presidential Candidate of the LJP.