“We stand with the people of Guyana who want to protect the integrity of their democracy” – White House Nat’l Security Council

The United States White House National Security Council has affirmed its commitment to having all nations in the Americas be fully free, and says that it stands with the people who want to protect the integrity of Guyana’s democracy.

The Council (@WHNSC) made its position known in a tweet yesterday, commenting on statements by Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, about the need for the tabulation of Guyana’s votes to be credible.
The tweet reads: “The U.S. is committed to the Americas becoming the 1st fully free hemisphere. We stand with the people of #Guyana who want to protect the integrity of their democracy, maintain peace, & preserve regional stability while we collectively confront #COVID2019.

Below the tweet is a link to Secretary Pompeo’s Remarks to the Press in Washington, D.C., on March 17.
The White House National Security Council is the forum used by the President of the US to consider military, security and foreign policy matters.
The National Security Council’s tweet is one in a series of public statements from high level US officials about the electoral process in Guyana.

Secretary Pompeo had said that the nation is closely monitoring the tabulation in Guyana, and that swift action would be taken to ensure that those who seek to benefit from electoral fraud and an illegitimate government/regime would face serious consequences.

The Council has joined calls by the Organisation of American States, the Commonwealth, the European Union, CARICOM and other democratic partners, for an accurate and credible count.
The Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo, has produced declarations on two separate occasions, for which the tabulation processes are marred by an alleged lack of transparency and accusations of electoral fraud. The first one was even vitiated by the Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire in a recent ruling. The second is also about to be under the court’s contemplation, as People’s Progressive Party (PPP) general secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, has challenged the legality of the declaration.