Guyana: Irfaan Ali declared the winner of March 2 presidential vote on August 2 /update 5

Event

On Sunday, August 2, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) declared that opposition presidential candidate Irfaan Ali was the winner of Guyana's disputed March 2 election. Ali, a member of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), was sworn in as president on Sunday afternoon.

Due to the closeness of the result, and the contentious nature of the election, there is the potential for demonstrations in the coming days in the vicinity of government and party offices in Georgetown and other major cities.

Context

Following the disputed regional and general elections in March 2020, Bharrat Jagdeo, a leader of the opposition People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) filed an injunction, claiming that the Elections Commission (EC) altered votes in favor of President Granger. The irregularities in the election later led to a voting recount in Guyana that began on May 6, to settle the result as to who would be the next president of the country. The recount of 2339 ballot boxes was held at the Arthur Chung Convention Center in Georgetown, overseen by the chair of the Election Commission, Judge Claudette Singh.

Advice

Individuals in Guyana are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all protests and public demonstrations as a precaution, and obey all instructions issued by the local authorities.