Mahipaul exposes APNU ‘fronts’ contesting 2023 LGE

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, urged Guyanese not to be misled into voting for “fronts” of the PNCR-led APNU.

During his news conference on Thursday (June 8, 2023) at Freedom House, Robb Street, he highlighted that the APNU+AFC Coali- tion’s Ganesh Mahipaul exposed several groups, which are contesting the 2023 Local Government Elections, as front groups for the APNU. Mahipaul, during a press briefing on Thursday (June 8, 2023) morning, referred to the: Hague/Blankenburg Development Association, with the symbol is the lightbulb that is contesting; a group contesting in the Mora/Parika NDC with the sucker tree as their symbol; another in the Malgre Tout/ Meer Zorgen NDC with the symbol of an eagle; and a group in the Toevlugt/ Patentia with the sugar cane with a cutlass across it as their symbol.

Jagdeo said, “Don’t be misled if you’re in these communities. The PNC is coming in disguise, APNU is coming in disguise. And it is extremely stupid for him to say that three days before the elections because all this subterfuge and the disguise that they were creating – the façade that some of these groups are independent groups – now we see that it is APNU groups there. And they are ashamed to go as APNU in these com- munities so they are trying to mislead the residents in those areas….it is a shameful, shameful thing.”

Notably, GECOM has confirmed that there will be no contest in 291 of the 610 constituencies being contested for the 2023 Local Government Elections (LGE). According to the Commission, 98 of the constituencies where there is no contest – meaning only one political party submitted list of candidates – are found in 13 Local Authority Areas in Regions 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9. GECOM explained that the other 193 of the constituencies are from other Local Authority Areas (LAAs).

The PPP/C is contesting all 610 constituencies in the 80 Local Authority Areas, as it did successfully in 2016 and 2018, while out of government.

Nationally, results for the 2018 LGE showed the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has almost doubled the margin of votes between the Party and APNU and AFC combined – moving from about 24,000 at the 2016 Local Government Elections to over 45,000 at this year’s

Local Government Elections. The difference of votes between the PPP/C and the AFC was a whopping 113,000 votes. Between the PPP/C and the APNU, the difference of votes was over 50,000. The results showed that the PPP/C won in 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs) and tied five others at the 2018 Local Government Elections. The PPP/C increased its win from 48 LAAs in 2016 to 52 LAAs in 2018 Local Government Elections. In the 10 towns the PPP/C, secured big wins in five of Guyana’s 10 towns: winning all the seats in Anna Regina, Rose Hall (12 of 16 seats), Corriverton (14 of the 16 seats), Lethem (6 of the 10 seats) and Mabaruma (eight of the 12 seats). The Party was successful in taking control of the Town Councils in Lethem and Mabaruma. Meanwhile, in the 70 NDCs, the Party was successful in not only holding on to its support base, but also saw an increase in votes in areas that were seen as the traditional support bases of parties like the APNU. The PPP/C won the Buxton/ Foulis NDC, Region 4.

The Hydrometeorological Service, Ministry of Agriculture is forecasting that below-normal amounts of rainfall are expected across Guyana from July 2023.

Typically, continuous wetness (often accompanied by localised flooding) persists until the end of July in many Regions. However, these conditions, in general, are not expected to persist beyond the end of June. The country is expected to begin transitioning into dry conditions by mid-July due to the influence of El Niño. At this stage, it is expected that El Niño will be the main driver of local weather for the remainder of the year.

Water supply in conservancies, reservoirs, and inland rivers across all regions is expected to remain adequate until the end of June and decrease thereafter. Additionally, the potential for flash floods due to heavy rainfall remains high for June, with the highest amounts of rainfall expected in Regions 7 and Northern 8.

All of Guyana can expect warmer than usual (above-normal) day and night-time temperatures over the coming months. Temperatures are expected to be warmer when compared to the same period of previous years (and recent months). Dry days will be significantly warmer than wet days.

The Hydrometeorological Service recommends that rain-fed agriculture and large-scale water users harvest rainwater during the latter part of June to compensate for deficiencies in the coming months. As heat and dust will be of concern from late July, it is recommended that shelter be provided for animals, while citizens should stay hydrated, and where possible, outdoor activities should be limited during the mid-day hours.

The Hydrometeorological Service will provide updates to its seasonal outlook as new information becomes available and recommends that special attention be paid to short-range forecasts emanating from the National Weather Watch Centre to plan daily activities.

For short-range forecasts and weather analyses, stakeholders are advised to follow the daily weather briefs, outlooks, and advisories produced by the National Weather Watch Centre or visit www.hydromet.gov.gy. The forecast desk could also be reached at 261-2284 or 261-2216.