Guyana remains in limbo as the final results of Monday’s General Elections have not yet been tabulated.

 And unrest was reported at the  Region Four Returning Officer’s office on High Street in Georgetown ( see photo from Stabroek News) where the votes for the region are still being verified.

The counting process in Region Four which is one of the largest electoral districts was stopped twice yesterday because of disagreements on how the votes are to be tabulated as well as the unavailability of staff.

The Returning Officers in nine of the 10 regions have declared results and as it stands the main opposition party, the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), holds a significant 51,439-vote lead in the regional and general elections.

Meantime there has been international condemnation of Guyana’s electoral system which needs to be amended.

The head of the CARICOM Election Observation Mission Cynthia Combie-Martyr has expressed dissatisfaction that previous recommendations to reform the electoral system were never implemented.  The system is managed by the Guyana Elections Commission, GECOM.

 The Mission’s preliminary report nevertheless declared the elections free and fair.

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission to Guyana, chastised both political parties, the APNU+AFC coalition and opposition PPP/C, for using state resources to campaign for the March 2 elections.

“In-kind vote-buying in Indigenous communities was a widely reported practice of both APNU+AFC and PPP/C,” the mission said in a preliminary statement on the elections was given.