Opposition leader Irfaan Ali sworn in as 9th president of Guyana

A former member of parliament and housing minister was sworn in Sunday as Guyana’s 9th executive president, ending a 5-month drawn out legal battle and contentious fight over flawed votes and uncertainty over who will lead the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member-nation amid a historic oil find.

Mohamed Irfaan Ali, leader of the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) coalition, was declared president earlier Sunday by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

In its declaration, GECOM said the PPP/C had won the disputed March 2 presidential and regional election.

The long-awaited announcement came after chief elections officer, Keith Lowenfield, finally submitted an elections report based on the results of a 33-day national recount that was conducted by GECOM and observed by the 15-member CARICOM bloc. The submission cleared the way for GECOM Chairwoman, retired justice, Claudette Singh to make the official elections declaration.

The report shows that the PPP/C won 33 seats in parliament to the outgoing government’s A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition’s 31.

Calling for his supporters to remain calm, outgoing President David Granger said his coalition will respect the elections declaration, but “will challenge the declared results lawfully, peacefully and purposefully.”

“I have stated, repeatedly, from the start of the electoral process, that the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition would respect the lawful ‘declaration’ of the Elections Commission,” Granger said in a statement. “The APNU+AFC Coalition cannot endorse a flawed Report and will continue its campaign to ensure that the votes of all Guyanese are accurately recorded, tallied and reported.”