Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland yesterday warned that if the voter tabulation for Region Four was not completed in accordance with Wednesday’s ruling by Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire, it would constitute a “serious violation of the fundamental political values of the Commonwealth”.
Observers say this could lead to Guyana being referred to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group and then possibly expulsion from the grouping.
In a statement, Scotland said she was deeply concerned by the refusal of the Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo, to comply with the ruling of the court, which it said was unambiguous that public and transparent tabulation of the Statement of Polls (SOPs) was required to ensure the credibility of the process and address continued contentions regarding the tabulation and declaration of election results.
