The three external observer missions that signaled their intention to monitor Guyana’s November 28 elections have started their preparations.
Along with the Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB), at least one of the diplomatic missions and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth Secretariat and CARICOM have responded to government’s invitation to observe the elections in Guyana.
Representative of the OAS in Guyana, Dennis Moses, said the hemispheric body’s contingent of observers for general and regional elections on November 28, 2011 will be smaller than that of 2006, partly because of reduction in funding.
Speaking to Stabroek News on Tuesday, Moses said he did not have much detail as regards the size of the contingent from the OAS, save that it falls short of the last one. He said the team is still being finalised and will be in Guyana about one week before the elections.
The Commonwealth Secretariat had sent an advance team last month.
On October 25, the team comprising Tafawa Williams and Julie Broadbent paid a courtesy call on GECOM at the commission’s boardroom.
Prior to this courtesy call, Williams and Broadbent, who were joined by Ziggy Ojago – a third representative, had met Chairman of GECOM Dr Steve Surujbally, who updated them on the state of GECOM’s preparedness for the 2011 General and Regional Elections.
Earlier in this year, Surujbally and Mark Stevens, Advisor and Head of the Democracy Section, Political Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat discussed key elections issues.
Apart from the issue of observer missions, the GECOM and the team from the Commonwealth Secretariat discussed the provision of technical support and the identification of a suitable candidate to be appointed to the position of IT Manager at GECOM.
Stevens had assured Surujbally that the Commonwealth Secretariat would continue to support GECOM as part of its thrust to support democratic processes in Guyana.
The CARICOM Secretariat revealed that the regional body was making preparations to have a 21-member observer mission in place for the elections.
Speaking to the Stabroek News, Public Information Adviser at CARICOM Leonard Robertson said the process is well underway for the fielding of observers from the region. He said the fact that Guyana and St Lucia both have general elections in November poses a challenge. “We are preparing to have missions in both countries…,” he said. Robertson pointed out that Guyana and St Lucia both have outlying areas and this poses a challenge for an observer mission in terms of cost of accommodating the persons and other logistics. “You have to strike a balance in terms of what is possible [considering the availability of] funds,” he said.
Robertson said the CARICOM observer mission is due in Guyana on Monday November 21 and will leave on Wednesday, November 30.
Some weeks ago, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon said government received communications from some of the other entities that had been invited to observe Guyana’s elections, explaining why they had declined the invitation. Among these were the Carter Center and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
