Georgetown: After agents of his party were caught trying on several occasions to defend fraudulent election results and the reality of a defeat at the March, 2 2020 polls, President David Granger said Guyana’s current electoral system could be reexamined and modified in the future while addressing constitutional reform, once this current electoral process is over.
During an interview with the State Media programme called NCN’s Context, the President said “maybe sometime in the future there could be a re-examination of the process and a modification of the process if it is found to be inadequate.”
He reminded that proportional representation was introduced in December 1964, and that system has remained in place since then.
Later on, in the 1992 elections, the Head of State said a plan called “The Carter/Price formula” was adopted.
The President said this has to be examined to determine whether it is the best means of arriving at an outcome which all the parties could be satisfied with.
The Carter-Price formula was created by former United States of America President, Jimmy Carter and former Prime Minister of Belize, George Price. Reports on the method indicate that it comes up short in terms of speedy decision making.
“But it is quite clear that the way we are going about elections now, the fact that we have waited several weeks for the result is not necessarily the best, we have to look for a more efficient system after we get past this present separation period,” the President said.
These matters though, the President said are for constitutional reform.
Adding that the current problem has not been resolved because some parties still believe in a winner takes all formula. This formula, he noted, has been abandoned by his own coalition, the APNU+AFC.
“To escape from this winner takes all system; a coalition is the way to go. “We need to adapt inclusionary democracy and we need to educate our supporters to support this formula,” President Granger stated
Meanwhile, the caretaker President David Granger has sought to assure that he cannot swear himself in and moreover, he has every intention of complying with whatever declaration the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) makes in accordance with the Constitution.
“I only ask that we allow the present process, which may be slow but it is lawful. Allow that process to come to an end. I’ve undertaken publicly, privately, in word and in deed, I’ve given every assurance that under the law and the Constitution, I will abide by the declaration of the Election Commission.”
“I can do no other. I cannot swear myself in as President. I cannot defy the courts. I cannot defy the Elections Commission,” Granger also maintained.
Further, the recount has shown that the declaration of Region Four Returning officer Clairmont Mingo, was inflated to favour the coalition.
In addressing the claims that the party he represents tried to rig the election, Granger expressed resentment over those charges.
“I have not done anything wrong. The Government has not done anything wrong. And I really resent the allegations of rigging and hypocrisy and unlawful behaviour, which have been levelled against me personally and against my Government.”
“As far as I know, the process from March 2nd, even prior, remains uninterruptedly, within the authority of the Election Commission,” he said.
In fact, during the current recount of the ballots cast in just 87 of the more than 400 ballot boxes that Mingo declared has confirmed that there was an inflation of figures for APNU/AFC, equivalent to the 2015 margin of victory declared.
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