‘Never before seen such blatant attempt to fix election results’ -outgoing UK envoy

Greg Quinn
Greg Quinn

British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn said today that Guyana’s five-month wait for an elections declaration and the blatant attempt to fix the results was one he had never seen in his 25-year career as a diplomat.

“I have never seen anything like it,” Quinn told  Stabroek News in an exclusive interview, as he prepares to return home after serving five-plus years as High Commissioner here.

He said that when he watched the District 4 results being read from a spreadsheet by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, he was stunned and thought, “This is definitely wrong and just not credible”.

Adding to the envoy’s disbelief  on March 5th was then Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Karen Cummings warning observers of their role and possible pulling of their accreditations. He said that he knew at that moment he had to say something and was the first to object to her assertions in the GECOM District Four office.

Quinn hopes that electoral and other reforms are put in place so that there is not a repeat come 2025 and that Guyanese will hold the Irfaan Ali government and the current opposition parties accountable to ensure that they are not put through that agony again. (See full story in tomorrow’s edition.)