A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) has expressed support for the recommendations outlined in the European Union’s Election Observation Mission final report. This comes as political parties react to the findings related to the recent elections in Guyana.
President Irfaan Ali criticized the report, questioning the integrity and influence of the local staff employed by the Election Observer Mission. However, APNU Members of Parliament Sherod Duncan and Ganesh Mahipaul contend that the EU report accurately reflects the electoral situation both before and after the polls.
MP Sherod Duncan pointed out that the weaknesses identified in the report were fully exploited by the government, providing it with an unfair advantage during the elections. He reaffirmed APNU’s demands for a credible voters list and independent, data-driven verification processes, while advocating for the implementation of modern digital identity tools. “We further support the EU’s priority recommendations to update the voter’s list using reliable recent population data supported by digitization,” he said.
Duncan emphasized the significance of the EU’s findings regarding the misuse of state resources by the governing party. He called for public condemnation of these actions, arguing that they undermine the electoral process. “APNU fully supports the EU priority recommendations to implement clear, enforceable rules to prevent such misuse of state resources,” he stated. He termed the government’s actions as “state-sponsored psychological manipulation for self-serving political purposes.”
In a similar vein, MP Ganesh Mahipaul highlighted the report’s assertion that the government’s conduct is detrimental to free, fair, and credible elections. He announced APNU’s intention to participate actively in roundtable discussions organized by the EU to articulate the party’s stance on the way forward.
Mahipaul added that APNU aims to follow up on the EU recommendations by advancing amendments to existing legislation to foster necessary reforms. He mentioned the party’s involvement in the constitutional reform commission, which is geared toward amending the constitution with a focus on upcoming elections, particularly the 2031 polls.
Furthermore, APNU emphasized the necessity for the Guyana Elections Commission to establish its own systems to ensure clarity in its processes and to safeguard against outside influence.
