UPDATE GUYANA– Guyana supports the call for transparent verification of Venezuela’s election results

St. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, Tuesday defended Georgetown’s position in calling for a “transparent” verification of the Venezuelan election results, saying that his government was not “commenting on whether the process is fair.

“The government of Guyana is obvious that there is a process in an election. In that process, you have what occurs before the election, what occurs on election day, and what occurs after that and throughout the process,” Ali told the news conference at the end of Tuesday’s Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit.

“There’ are laws and systems that govern the process. Our statement is factual, and every mechanism provided for any electoral system must be adhered to. If there are calls from the international community and the opposition, one aspect of that process must be activated. We support that call it because it is part of the electoral system,” Ali said, dismissing the suggestion that the statement indicates that he did not believe the process had been fair.

Earlier, Georgetown issued a statement indicating that ‘elections are about people exercising their constitutional right to elect a government of their choice in a free, fair and transparent process.

“It behooves all to ensure the integrity of that process through the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and strict adherence to the rule of law, including the rules governing elections, to guarantee respect for the will of the people,” the statement said, adding “that the people of Venezuela deserve nothing less.”

Protests have been rocking the South American country after the election board declared on Monday that President Nicolas Maduro had won a third term with 51 percent of votes to extend the “Chavista” movement’s quarter-century rule.

However, the opposition, which considers the election body to be in the “pocket of a dictatorial government,” says the 80 percent of vote tallies to which it had access showed its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez had more than twice as many votes as Maduro.

The renewed instability has prompted international reaction, including from the United States, which says it is considering fresh sanctions on individuals linked to the election unless there is greater transparency about the vote, while China and Russia congratulated Maduro.

The issue has also resulted in different Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries welcoming the results and others adopting a diplomatic stance.

CARICOM chairman and Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell told the news conference at which Ali spoke that the issue should not be regarded as dividing the regional bloc.

“It’s not an indication that CARICOM is divided on this issue,” Mitchell said, adding that the Venezuelan election is a domestic affair.

“Second, Venezuela is not a member of CARICOM, and we expect, and it has already happened, that members will indicate their positions. CARICOM noted that the elections are taking place. We are happy that the people of Venezuela got the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to engage in elections.

“And so no, there is no division within CARICOM on the issue because there’s no need for CARICOM to have a division, honestly,” he told reporters.

“What I know for a fact is that elections were held, a declared winner was announced, and it’s being challenged or disputed. I don’t know if there is a verification process. I mean, elections are held everywhere. Sometimes, they are disputed, and sometimes, they are not,” he said.

Meanwhile, CARICOM has reiterated its call on the United States to end its decades-old embargo on Cuba as the Spanish-speaking country battles with a “deteriorating humanitarian situation.”

In a statement, the regional leaders said the situation in Cuba is a result of the “embargo wrongfully imposed on the people and government of Cuba over the last 62 years” by Washington.

“The Conference reiterates its call for the lifting of the unjust unilateral financial, economic, and trade embargo,” the statement said, adding that “in light of the depth of the humanitarian situation, CARICOM Heads of Government agreed to provide material support to assist Cuba.

” CARICOM considers the US State Department’s ongoing inclusion of Cuba on its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism as wrong and offensive. The Conference reiterates its call for Cuba to be immediately removed from this list,” the statement added.