APNU+AFC lost all credibility with attempts to steal elections – Jagdeo

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has criticised the major opposition political parties – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) – for trying to present themselves as champions of good governance when they attempted to derail the will of the people at the last elections in 2020.

“Stealing elections is the litmus test for credibility and governance. If you steal elections, what else can you talk about governance? Everything else becomes muted, everything else,” he emphasised during his weekly press conference on Thursday.

Jagdeo recalled the refusal by the APNU+AFC to hold elections three months after they were defeated by a No-Confidence motion in the National Assembly in December 2018.

“You defied the Constitution of Guyana, you had to go to elections three months after a successful no-confidence motion, you stuck around and squatted in office for over a year then only with international pressure and the CCJ (Caribbean Court of Justice) ruling we managed to get elections,” he reminded.

The coalition was elected to office in 2015 after decades of PPP being in office. But three short years later, they were defeated in a motion of no confidence in the National Assembly.

This was possible when AFC member Charandass Persaud voted with the then PPP parliamentarians that they have lost confidence in the government.

However, the APNU+AFC sought the intervention of the courts in an attempt to remain in power, with current Leader of the AFC, Nigel Hughes arguing that Persaud’s lone crossover vote cannot topple the government.

After several legal battles, the General and Regional Elections were subsequently held on March 2, 2020 but even after being voted out of office, the coalition refused to give up power.

“Then after the elections, you squatted another five months in office enjoying all the benefits…and now they’re talking about governance. You violated the Constitution,” Jagdeo reminded.

He also reminded of efforts of the then David Granger-led administration, prior to the 2020 elections, to unilaterallly appoint a Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), again in violation of the Constitution.

“…25 years of common understanding between the PNC, the PPP and everyone else that this provision in the Constitution will work in this manner; we’ve all respected that, [former leaders of the People’s National Congress] Desmond Hoyte, Robert Corbin [and former Presidents] Donald Ramotar, Jagdeo, until the last government came into office and decided to unilaterally appoint,” Jagdeo explained.

The PPP General Secretary questioned “if you can’t respect a basic provision of the Constitution. The interpretation of that, law has been settled not only in law but in practice, then how could you ever claim credibility again with anything associated with governance?”

The next General and Regional Elections are slated for September 1, 2025.