The Private Sector Commission (PSC) is set to deploy a team of 50 observers to monitor general elections on Monday.
PSC Chairman Ramesh Persaud told Stabroek News yesterday that the team, which would be assisting the Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB), is charged with ensuring that the electoral process is efficient and in compliance with the law. He noted that the team will be strategically placed at different polling stations, except in regions 7, 8 and 1, where it will not be fielding observers.
The Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Common-wealth Secretariat, the Carter Center and Caricom are also deploying observers to monitor the polls.
Meanwhile, Persaud said the PSC was disappointed with the main political parties not agreeing on presidential and prime ministerial debates.
The PSC had been seeking to facilitate a presidential debate.
He stated that the debates would have proved very informative for the electorate, which would have had a chance to get to know the candidates and their plans for Guyana post-elections. “Apparently, they didn’t think it might have been that important to have the debates, we don’t know,” he said.
British High Commissioner to Guyana Greg Quinn had said it was essential for the presidential candidates to debate in order to lay out their views to voters.
However, the APNU+AFC coalition said it would not participate in a presidential debate unless a prime ministerial debate preceded it.
However, the incumbent PPP/C had refused to partake in a prime ministerial debate, stating that it was protecting prime ministerial candidate Elisabeth Harper from “disrespect.” APNU+AFC presidential candidate David Granger had, nevertheless, contended that the coalition believes that the people have a right to hear the voices of each candidate and that the two debates would complement each other and give the electorate a rounded view of the policies that will be implemented by the next administration.
