Presidential Candidate of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has lauded the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) over its “cogent” decision on Wednesday, noting that it has paved the way for Guyana to reclaim its place as a “respected and celebrated” democracy.
“Each and every one of us has a duty as Guyanese to move Guyana forward and I reaffirm my commitment to all of Guyana to ensure that we retake our place as a respected and celebrated democracy where each and every citizen, regardless of background, can have an equal opportunity to enjoin all that our beautiful country has to offer,” Ali said in a statement commenting on the ruling.
The PPP/C Presidential Candidate further posited that the CCJ ruling will have far-reaching impact for democracy beyond Guyana.
“[I] salute not only the Court’s judgment but its commitment to free, fair and independent judgments. No doubt the Court’s decision has a far-reaching impact for democracy not only in Guyana, but in the entire Commonwealth. The Court has made Guyana and indeed the entire of Caricom proud in its swift delivery of a clear and cogent judgment,” he stated.
According to Ali, while the Court’s decision will be embraced by many and similarly met with disappointment by others, it cannot be ignored that Guyana currently faces significant economic and health concerns, which requires for everyone to unite as a country to immediately address.
The Trinidad-based regional court ruled that Guyana’s Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction to hear the matter filed by APNU/AFC supporter, Eslyn David, much less interpreting “more votes cast” in the Recount Order to mean “more valid votes cast”.
The CCJ also invalidated the fraudulent report submitted by embattled Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in which he disenfranchised over 115,000 votes based on the Appeal Court’s ruling.
