“We saw it coming,” said General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo, as We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) pulled off what many considered impossible.
The political party, which has existed for just three months, has risen to dethrone the mighty A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) as the main parliamentary Opposition. At least, this is what the Statements of Poll posted by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) indicate.
Guyana Standard’s tabulation shows the Aubrey Norton-led APNU suffering a massive loss of support in Regions Four and 10. The party has since called for a recount. WIN, led by U.S.-sanctioned Guyanese Businessman Azruddin Mohamed, led the call for the recount, alleging irregularities and expressing disbelief that the ruling PPP/C was able to capture the district. His call comes even as a majority of the votes his party received came from APNU strongholds, including Mocha, Sophia and Albouystown.
A recount is currently ongoing.
Speaking at a press conference today, the incumbent Vice-President said the development did not come as a surprise. He added that even before the tabulation began, he had predicted that APNU would face a rude awakening.
“We knew that they were going to become the third force in parliament. We said this to many of their leaders…So, we saw it coming. We saw it coming. There was no surprise on election night.
“The Statements of Poll did not even come in yet in large numbers, and I said, ‘Tonight will be a tough night for APNU,’ and it was a tough night for them. So, we saw this happening entirely. It did not catch us by surprise.” Jagdeo said.
Jagdeo empathized with the APNU, saying he feels “sorry for them”, but added that the party’s “hatred for the PPP clouded good sense.”
