The dead man has been identified as Seedat Hansraj and in a statement, the Guyana Police Force explained that at around 19:40hrs on Friday, Police Ranks while performing their duties at Cotton Tree Public Road, came under attack by the protesters.

Unverified results declared

Since Friday morning, hundreds of opposition People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) protesters took to the streets in various parts of the country, burning vehicles, tires and blocking roads to illustrate their displeasure with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and its handling the results of the March 2 polls.

GECOM on Thursday, March 5, 2020, through its Returning Officer, declared the Region 4 results without complete verification, putting the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government into the lead to win the 2020 elections.

The Police Force said moments before the attack, officers maintaining order were attacked by a group of men armed with cutlasses, wood, iron and were forced to discharge their weapons into the air to disperse “the very hostile and aggressive crowd,” at around 19:40hrs.

The cops and Hansraj were taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where the young man was pronounced dead on arrival. The ranks remain in the hospital and are said to be in a stable condition.

Verify Region 4 results - International Observers

Meanwhile, international bodies and international Observer Missions have been mounting pressure on GECOM to return to the verification of Region 4 results ahead of the official announcement of the 2020 elections winner.

In a joint statement, observer missions including those from the Commonwealth, the European Union, the Organization of American States, and The Carter Center all want the tabulation of results for the election in Region 4 to go through the proper verification process.

If not, they believe the result of the elections cannot be credibly declared, “Until this transparent process takes place, the counting of votes recorded for Region 4 remains incomplete”, the Observers said.

Political parties call for peace

As protest action increased on Friday, both the main opposition PPP/C and the APNU+AFC Government reiterated calls for their supporters to remain calm after the Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had earlier told his supporters to protest against the David A. Granger Government and alleged election fraud at GECOM.

Several other Police were injured and one stabbed in the protests that saw ranks running for cover as opposition PPP/C protesters showered them with bricks, glass bottles and other debris.

Four school children were also reportedly hospitalised after their state-runned school bus service came under attack in Berbice.