Political protesters in Guyana clash with police

(AP)  GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Police fired tear gas and rubber pellets on Tuesday to disperse about 500 protesters demanding an election recount in Guyana, a day after the home of a ruling party politician was reportedly firebombed.

Leaders of the opposition Partnership For National Unity said eight people were slightly injured in Tuesday's clash, including a 79-year-old woman, a retired army chief and the head of the party's youth movement.

David Granger, a retired army officer who won a seat in Parliament, said the protest was peaceful and said police overreacted. "There's no reason to use this level of force."

Police said eight schoolchildren also have been taken to the hospital after tear gas wafted into a nearby school that has since closed for the day.

The tightly contested Nov. 28 general elections have led to sporadic violence in the nation of 780,000 people on the northern shoulder of South America.

On Monday, police said, someone threw two homemade gasoline bombs into the home of Odinga Lumumba, a legislator and presidential adviser for the ruling People's Progressive Party, while he and his family slept. No one was reported injured.

Lumumba was involved in a heated argument with an election official when he sought to observe the voting process at a polling station on election day.

The People's Progressive Party narrowly won the election, but lost its majority in Parliament, forcing it to form a minority government. Donald Ramotar, a 61-year-old economist, was sworn in as president on Saturday.

[guyanese_girl77]

@gtgirl1..... im guessing you are indian or a brain washed ppp supporter.we dont have to come on cbs to tell lies because its obvious on the situations in guyana.this government is messed up and they want to mess our future up too.we as citizen that are concerned for the best of our country and youths refuse to take this nonsense thats why we are peacefully protesting for it is our constitutional rights.we didnt put any explosive in lubumba's yard for if we did we would have allowed it to explode but we want peace so we stick in our corners. this government dont want peace thats why they sent the police to shoot us down.the schools were near by and the teachers called out to tell the polices that kids were around but they ignored and the teacher and some kids end up being injured.now tell me isnt this injustice and total disrespect to people's rights?

[Annover]

Guyana Election Commission is a fraud,the people had spoken at the polls and their votes were stolen that the reason they are protesting peacfully, but the ppp government as usual used force on the guyanese people causing harm to many in the streets. the ppp government needs to be investigated for all the illegal activites they are involved in drugs death squad murders can't give account for millions of dollars in contracts that were given to their friends and the list goes on and on these are the people that are raping the country.

[Timbowman007]

The ruling PPP regime funded the elections commission GECOM and GECOM did the rigging -with assistance from operators within the PPP. To date, GECOM has not released the SOP (statement of Polls -ballots counted and certified at polling station). This is the root cause of the peaceful demonstrations.

In Guyana, people vote for parties which best represents their ethnic group. The ruling PPP voters are mainly East Indian Guyanese and make up 39% of voters, the main opposition coalition APNU voters are mainly Africian + Mixed Race Guyanese making up 52% of voters and the AFC voters are mainly East Indian voters who are not comfortable with the main East Indian party -the ruling PPP.

On election day, 28 November 2011, the AFC received about 10% of EastIndian vote. In order for the PPP to get nearly 49% (GECOM result) of the vote, they would have to get 100% of the Amerindian vote (10% of Guyana's population)and nearly 10% of the African-Mixed Race vote. This is statistically impossible.

The PPP with the help of GECOM rigged the elections and now wants opposition members to be quiet. This will not stand. The youth of Guyana will not wait 5 years in abject poverty while the country's wealth is divied up among PPP leaders and their cabal of friends

[Timbowman007]

CBS should also have 60 Minutes investigate narco-trafficking by "close friends" of the PPP government, the rejection of an independent DEA office in Guyana, the refusal of British funds and expertise to assist law enforcement.

How can a president making a small alary amass enough wealth to uild a home worth over US $3,000,000? How ministers of the PPP government live in secluded developments while the minimum wage is around US $0.60/hour? How the PPP government speant over US $200 million on a Chinese sugar mill which does not work.

[Timbowman007]

No peaceful protest is ever illegal in a democrscy. The PPP stole the nelection and the folks are pissed. 60 Minutes should fly down to Guyana and investigate all the deals for oil, gold, timber etc. done behind closed doors. 60 Minutes should also investigate the murder of over 400 mostly black youth by special police, the murder of Minister Sat Sawh, a dual Canada-Guyana citizen.

[guyaneseguy]

Guyana is a free country and the people protesting peacefully on the streets are only doing so because they were cheated at the elections and there are more than enough proof to back that statement. There is a saying that says "money walks" meaning once you have money anything is possible and thats what happened in guyana election 2011. Allot of things happened that should not have occured and the election was rigged.
@ Gtgirl1..you should be ashame to make your comment.i'm absolutely sure that you don't concern for your country and your future. Guyana Firstly you said that the APNU were involved in an illegal protest. APNU means A Partnership For Nationally Unity and its made up of Guyanese Citizens of cource. So that statement is rediculas. All We need is Unity and Peace in Guyana. Guyana Needs Prayers..

[Gtgirl1]

THey forgot to mention that the APNU were involved in an illegal protest, and have been intimidating guyanese citizens since the elction campaign started, forcing businesses to close early for fear of vandalism. APNU has promised a grim xmas if they dont have their way

[Citizen_of_Guyana]

@Gtgirl1... are you seriously going to make such an ignorant and obviously not factual statement? please tell me you have proof to back this illegitimate claim. The APNU has done nothing but promote peace and unity which is more than I can say for the current administration. This was displayed during the current election where more than half of the country wanted change from the current administration and their business as usual. So please desist from this display of ignorance in your comments to which the international community can see. THANK YOU.