President Ali pledges to strengthen democracy pillars of Guyana

Guyana: President Dr Irfaan Ali, while speaking during the ‘summit of democracy‘, pledged to strengthen the democratic institutions of the island so that fair elections would be conducted in future.  

This was a virtual summit hosted by the United States administration, in which world leaders from more than 100 nations participated on Thursday and Friday. 

President Ali cited, “Previous year, Guyana witnessed an attempt to steal presidential and regional elections that postponed the declaration of a credible result for five long and excruciating months“. 

“Democracy was delayed and almost denied. It was only the vigilance of the Guyanese people, backed by a watchful international community, that prevented our nation from being plunged into a dictatorship with all its disastrous consequences“. 

Highlighting the above-mentioned issue, he highlighted that this is the reason that the Guyanese government is committed to working in strengthening the significant pillars of the islands’ democracy. 

He noted, “Our administration also pledges to boost the will of the electorate is upheld in free, fair, & transparent elections, and that the independence of the judiciary is maintained“. 

Apart from this, the Head of the State further called on the other world leaders to recognise that autocracy and dictatorships could become pandemics, crossing borders and contaminating political processes around the world. 

Other Caribbean leaders such as – St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris, Belize Prime Minister Johnny Briceno, Dominican Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit were among the other officials who joined the virtual summit of democracy. 

The activists, journalists, and other high-rank delegates were also invited by the United States Joe Biden led administration.  

While Brigadier Mark Phillips, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud & Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper. 

The summit also focused on combatting corruption, defending against authoritarianism and promoting human rights.