Last Monday, Guyanese voters took to the polling stations to cast their ballots for general and regional elections following the 21 December 2018 vote of no confidence in the Government. In their editorial columns, both the Stabroek News and the Guyana Chronicle as well as this column called on citizens to allow for peace and calm to prevail. There were also several letters to the editor to this effect.
Media reports indicated that voting began and ended smoothly in various parts of the country. The following day, the chair of GECOM declared the elections free and fair. The diplomatic missions of the United States and the UK were also in high praise for the peaceful atmosphere on polling day and called on all Guyanese to respect the final results.
Results of Statements of Poll
During the evening of elections day, Stabroek News published the results of 50 Statements of Poll (SOPs) for general elections, representing a mere two percent of the 2,339 polling stations. On Tuesday, it published two updates of the results involving 175 SOPs. It soon became evident that the contest was going to be a close one between the APNU+AFC and the PPP/C.
