By Johann Earle
Head of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Electoral Observer Mission, Professor Gordon Shirley called the 2011 polls an improvement over past elections and lauded the Guyana Elections Commission’s “significant” preparations ahead of voting, although he pointed out areas of concern such as the slothfulness of results and polling place irregularities.
Shirley spoke yesterday at a press briefing held at the Pegasus Hotel where he gave an assessment of the mission’s work during the elections and in the days leading up to it. The mission fielded 25 observers from 14 countries in nine of the country’s 10 administrative regions and has maintained a 24-hour presence in the GECOM tabulation centre since the close of polls on Election Day. The OAS team visited a total of over 13 percent of the country’s polling stations on Election Day.
But the OAS teams stationed at GECOM’s tabulation centre in Georgetown observed at least two envelopes containing statements of poll “being delivered by an unaccredited and unescorted individual.”
He said that while the OAS has maintained a 24 hour presence in the tabulation centre since the close of polls, “the level of transparency and access to information regarding the process has not been as complete as that experienced by the mission prior to Election Day.”
Regarding the timeliness of the declaration of results of the elections, the mission said that as of 15:00 hours yesterday, “GECOM [had] yet to release completed preliminary or final results from the election.”
Professor Shirley said “These delays can only undermine confidence in the electoral process and fuel speculation by interveners who may wish to take advantage of the situation. It is unfortunate that, following a generally well administered election up to and including polling day the failure to ensure the timely dissemination of results may undermine the good work done thus far.”
Thus he called upon GECOM to work diligently to issue the results quickly and to address the operational procedures that led to the delay “so that this matter can be avoided in the future.”
Professor Shirley said that after the close of the polls, the vote counting and transmission process suffered from significant delays. “The mission considers it unfortunate that the smooth functioning of the process seen throughout the day was replaced by inefficient procedures and a lack of coordination in the processing and release of preliminary and final results,” he said.
Discrepancy
“In addition, at 6 AM on November 29th, a significant discrepancy between the number of statements of poll received by the Returning Officer for Region 4 and those processed at GECOM’s headquarters was observed,” he said.
Speaking earlier about the pre-electoral period, he said “Another positive aspect of the campaign period was the adoption by all parties of Codes of Conduct for both political parties and media. The effort to instill a sense of collegiality and fair play for the campaign period is considered by the OAS mission an important step toward ensuring a level playing field that should in the future be supported by additional mechanisms for the institutionalization, oversight and sanctions of these mechanisms,” Professor Shirley said.
With regards to observations noted on Election Day, the mission said that polls opened on time in nearly all the observed locations, that all essential materials had arrived, and that the poll workers ensured the smooth flow of the process. “In addition, electors, local electoral observers, security forces and party agents were present in and engaged in almost all observed locations, demonstrating their commitment to the exercise of the process,” Shirley said.
He said that the elections campaign period was characterized by a perception of a limited differentiation between the state and the governing party use of media and resources. “The mission’s verbal report to the OAS Permanent Council will address the issues surrounding the campaign process in further detail,” Shirley said.
Shirley said that as part of this mission, the OAS incorporated a pilot of the methodology for the observation of gender participation in the electoral process. “The results of this analysis show that Guyana has made significant progress in the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women in the political process, as Guyana is the only country in the Caribbean region with a gender quota in effect,” he said.
Shirley noted that the current composition of 30 percent female representatives in parliament demonstrates the country’s commitment to female participation in politics. “In this regard, the observed polling stations were comprised of more than 75 percent female poll workers, and the active participation of female poll agents and police was also noted,” he said.
Regarding security on Election Day, Shirley said that the isolated cases of tension that arose during the day and after the close of polls in Georgetown “were quickly addressed by GECOM officials and security forces.”
Polling stations
The OAS pointed out that it observed some issues that may have caused some voter confusion on the day of the election. “The proportion of polling stations that were changed between the November 8, 2011 published Official List of Polling Stations and the list provided to the OAS electoral observation mission dated November 25 was high. These discrepancies came to a national average of over five percent of polling stations, and were particularly elevated for stations located in Regions 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10. In at least three of these polling stations OAS observers noted that, on the day prior to the polls, no written notice advising of the new polling location was in evidence,” the OAS mission head said.
The mission also observed that voters were unable to find their names on the lists at the polling centres, and noted that there were long lines and some voter confusion regarding information on where to cast their vote.
The mission made some recommendations with regard to the enhancement of timely procedures for the electoral process; the incorporation of mechanisms to ensure sufficient time for the planning, testing, and troubleshooting of issues that pertain to the relocation of polling stations, communications regarding changes in procedures and policies from previous elections, transmission of preliminary and final results, and the standardization of the electoral calendar with specific deadlines and milestones.
The mission also recommended that additional mechanisms to ensure the security of electoral results are implemented throughout the course of the transfer of electoral materials between the regional offices and GECOM’s central tabulation centre. “These mechanisms should include the confirmation of accredited, escorted and previously identified individuals,” Shirley said.
