Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Foreign Secretary's statement on Guyana, published on 10 March 2020, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Guyana; and what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to ensure the election results of that country are announced.

Following the change to date for answer of this PQ, I submitted a response by email on 26 March, with the following response. The Table Office have agreed this approach.

On 13 March, our High Commissioner to Georgetown released a third joint statement with Heads of Missions of the Embassy of the United States of America, the Canadian High Commission, and the Delegation of the European Union, expressing our deep concern over events following the elections in Guyana on 2 March. On 24 March the Foreign Secretary issued his second statement noting that transition of government should only take place in line with transparent and democratic principles that lead to credible results. He stated that any government sworn in on the basis of non-credible results will face strong international condemnation. We call upon the President to ensure that proper procedures are followed before embarking upon a transition of government and we stand ready, alongside the international community, to assist in ensuring a credible process that provides the democratic outcome that the Guyanese people deserve.