A broad group of civil society organizations met last month to pursue reforms of the electoral system and they have since invited political parties to address issues that are fundamental to the process.
Following a meeting attended by some 17 organizations and interested individuals, a decision was taken to engage the political parties to determine their current thinking with respect to electoral reform, a release issued yesterday by the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) said. As a result, six political parties–PPP/C, PNCR, AFC, GAP, TUF, and the WPA–were invited to a forum to be held tomorrow to address issues related to reform of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM); geographic constituencies; organization of the party lists; registration of parties contesting elections; and campaign financing. The forum has been convened by the GHRA and it is sponsored by civil society organizations in the professional, religious, trade union, indigenous, women, youth and disabilities sectors. It will be chaired by Hugh Cholmondeley.
The release said that while efforts by civil society organizations to have the constitutionally-approved reforms implemented in 2006 were unsuccessful, that work should serve as a good foundation for encouraging all actors, including donors, to honour their prior commitments on these issues in time for the 2011 elections.
The letter of invitation sent on behalf of the participating organizations noted that “Guyana’s electoral arrangements fall towards the bottom of any ranking of electoral systems according to accountability, impartiality and fairness.”
The letter also stated that “Over the years, a series of reforms have been discussed repeatedly: some were legally approved in 2000, others were the subject of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2005 by the Elections Commissioner, the Office of the President and leading donor countries.
Some still require legal action. Taken together such reforms would help raise the quality of Guyana’s electoral processes.” However, the civil society groups noted that to their knowledge “no party is currently signaling their interest in seeing them implemented.”
The release noted that ruling parties have remained in office in Guyana for extra-ordinary lengths of time, pointing out that governments have changed hands only twice since universal suffrage was introduced in 1953. “Even in those two occasions it could be argued that external intervention and civic mobilizing played as much a part in effecting change as electoral politics,” it added.
The forum is to be held at the Demerara Life Conference Centre, Robb Street/Avenue of the Republic and is scheduled from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
For further information please contact convenor Mike McCormack (GHRA) at 226-1789.
