The Carter Center yesterday expressed deep concern at “provocative rhetoric” on the campaign trail as it prepares to deploy a 60-strong team for Monday’s general elections led by its head, former US President Jimmy Carter and including former Barbados Foreign Minister, Billie Miller.
In the first statement by any of the observer teams on pre-election activities, the Atlanta, Georgia-based institution said Guyana’s electoral preparations “appear to be on track in most of the country”.
It noted that since April, the Center deployed a team of five experts and six medium-term observers throughout the country. It said that they have observed developments in all 10 of Guyana’s electoral districts and held meetings with a wide range of groups including political parties, the elections commission, civil society organizations, and the judiciary.
The statement said that although their observation is ongoing, medium-term observers have reported that the majority of stakeholders in the regions have voiced confidence in the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the electoral process. It added that in most parts of the country, “electoral preparations appear to be on course, and in some areas, preparations are ahead of schedule. In some more remote areas, there are concerns about the status of logistical preparations.”
The Center, which played a key role in securing electoral reforms for the 1992 general elections, said that its observers heard many allegations of electoral offences being committed by supporters of both of the main political parties. In the main, these were about the destruction of flags, banners, and billboards. However, the team said that it encountered very few formal complaints tendered to the police and to GECOM.
“The Carter Center is deeply concerned about the provocative rhetoric in the campaign and condemns any attempt to sow fear and distrust among Guyana’s ethnic groups or to undermine confidence in its electoral process and institutions. It is imperative that political parties remain conscious of their obligations under the Political Party Code of Conduct for these elections and urge their supporters to behave accordingly. As Election Day approaches, The Carter Center encourages all Guyanese to make their strongest efforts to promote a peaceful and transparent electoral process. These elections are an important opportunity for Guyanese to strengthen their commitment to one another and further consolidate their democracy”, the Center asserted.
It identified no party, statement or speaker in relation to the provocative rhetoric but in recent weeks former President Bharrat Jagdeo has been heavily criticized for racially divisive remarks including by the Media Monitoring Unit of GECOM.
The Center stated that its medium-term observation team will be joined this week by more than 50 short-term observers from 24 countries. It disclosed that the delegation will be co-led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Ambassador Audrey Glover of the United Kingdom, and former Barbados Minister of Foreign Affairs Miller. The statement said that they will witness the electoral process, including voting, counting, polling, and tabulation, and release a preliminary statement of key findings on May 13, which will be available at http://www.cartercenter.org.
The statement added that the Center’s assessment of the electoral process will be based on Guyana’s constitution, national legal framework, and its various obligations for democratic elections under public international law.
It asserted that the Center’s mission will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, which provides guidelines for professional and impartial election observation.
The medium term observers for the Center were deployed across Guyana on April 23. The preliminary logistical plan was to have three medium-term observer teams, one team would cover regions 2, 3, and 7, another team would cover regions 5 and 6 and the other, regions 1, 8, and 9.
OAS
Meanwhile, other observer bodies are establishing themselves.
A statement issued by the Organisation of American States (OAS) noted that the Election Observation Mission (EOM) began its final deployment in Georgetown yesterday. The delegation is being headed by former Belizean Foreign Minister Lisa Shoman.
According to the OAS, “on Election Day (May 11, 2015) observers will visit polling stations across the country at every stage from the opening of the polls to the counting of votes and the publication of results.”
The OAS/EOM will focus its observation on “electoral organisation, electoral-political financing and the equal participation of men and women in the electoral process,” the statement read.
It added that the status of recommendations from the last OAS/EOM in 2011 will also be addressed.
A total of 23 observers will represent the EOM/OAS from 13 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.
The OAS stated that this will be the fifth observer mission in Guyana following missions in 1997, 2001, 2006 and 2011.
“The day after the election, the OAS/EOM will present its preliminary findings and will subsequently present a report to the Permanent Council of the Organisation in Washington, DC”, the statement added.
OAS observers began arriving in Guyana on Saturday. The organisation held a preliminary visit in mid-April with GECOM to discuss election preparedness.
Yesterday, the Commonwealth Observer Group’s Chairperson Kate Wilkinson, former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister in New Zealand arrived in Guyana.
The Commonwealth Observer group’s Communication Officer, Natricia Duncan told Stabroek News that preliminary work had already begun and that the team will be meeting with a wide range of stakeholders.
The Commonwealth has been a key international observer at general elections here. Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said in a May 1 press release: “The Commonwealth is committed to preserving its long tradition of support for elections in Guyana. Since 1992 we have been observing its national polls and we are pleased to be given the opportunity to contribute to the further consolidation of its democracy.
“These elections are crucially important for the people of Guyana, as they choose their representatives. It is therefore imperative that the electoral process is transparent, fair, credible, and free of violence.”
The Commonwealth is expected to be in Guyana until May 19 to allow for consideration of a pre-electoral environment and preparedness as well as polling day activities and the counting and tabulation procedures including the announcement of results.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the local Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB), Father Malcom Rodrigues yesterday said that all 10 persons on the board are prepared to be deployed to various areas which will be confirmed after a board meeting today.
He said that unfortunately the restrictions when it comes to transportation and disseminating information from the interior continue to pose a problem for observers. He said while some persons have smart phones, technological restrictions still pose a problem. He said that getting credentials to volunteers posed a problem, however pilots do offer to take badges and other supplies when possible.
Rodrigues said that they have had a significant response in relation to advertisements placed in the newspapers requesting volunteers. He said that “things are moving swiftly towards Monday.”
Stabroek News has reached out to Caricom on multiple occasions as to the current status of its observer mission preparations but there has been no response.
