Jagdeo welcomes Carter Center’s findings but flags key omissions & concerns

While generally welcoming the findings of the Carter Center Electoral Observation Mission in Guyana, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has raised several concerns with the preliminary report released ahead of the September 1 General and Regional Elections.

Speaking at a press conference today, Jagdeo said that although the report validates several critical points long maintained by the PPP/C, it also contains notable flaws.

One major point of contention, Jagdeo noted, is the Carter Center’s commentary on the actions of local banks regarding US sanctions. The report expressed concern that banks in Guyana might be over-complying with US sanctions by closing the personal accounts of approximately 40 WIN candidates, party members, and associates.

Jagdeo criticised the Carter Center for appearing to instruct local banks on how to operate in this sensitive area, pointing out that even the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has not provided clear guidance on whether transactions involving associates of sanctioned individuals place banks at risk.

“Even OFAC has not done that…I find that very strange,” Jagdeo said.

Jagdeo also took issue with the report’s failure to document what he described as blatant acts of voter inducement. He referenced a widely circulated video of WIN’s presidential candidate, US sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, handing money to a citizen – an incident that prompted the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to issue a public warning that vote-buying is illegal.

“They missed the biggest one with Azruddin Mohamed handing out money which prompted GECOM to issue a statement saying that it’s illegal to buy votes or to be paid for your vote….which also prompted APNU to call for a ban of cellphones in polling places. How could they miss that big one?”

He also referenced an incident involving WIN supporter Bradley “Doggie” Sampson at the Square of the Revolution, which he felt deserved mention in the report.

The PPP/C General Secretary further criticised the report’s suggestion that the governing party is improperly using State resources in its campaign. He defended the use of official vehicles by President Dr. Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister Mark Phillips, pointing out that both remain in office and are entitled to such use.

Jagdeo drew a contrast between the current scrutiny and the Carter Center’s silence in 2020, when the former APNU+AFC government reportedly spent billions in public funds after falling to a no-confidence vote, and continued to use State resources for months after losing the election.

These developments are strange, he said, “but no big deal.”

Jagdeo reiterated that the PPP/C will continue to campaign based on its record and promises. “We make no apology for that. We campaign on keeping our promises,” he asserted.

However, he also expressed satisfaction with two major findings in the report: that the voters list is not bloated, and that political parties are campaigning freely and peacefully.

“I’m extremely pleased with those findings because they’re crucial to the conduct of elections,” Jagdeo said.

He emphasised that claims by APNU regarding a bloated list have long lacked merit.

“This has been APNU’s battle cry for years… that people who should not be on the list are on the list. They provided absolutely no evidence for it and they continue until today, I saw it, to make that claim,” he reasoned, adding that “the Carter Center examined all the evidence and they found no evidence of a bloated list”.