A team has been deployed to observe the electoral environment before and on polling day, Monday by the CARICOM Secretariat.
The Secretariat, which has covered previous elections in Guyana and made recommendations to the government, the Guyana Elections Commission and political parties, deployed a team of 8 persons yesterday to cover the campaigns and Elections Day.
The Head and Deputy Head of the mission arrived on Wednesday evening and have since met with the Presidential candidates of the political parties. Head of the Presidential Secretariat of Guyana, Dr Roger Luncheon had written the Community to provide coverage of the elections on May 11. The Secretariat responded by sending a team of observers to cover the election period from May 6 to May 13.
Head of the mission, Deputy Director of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, Earl Simpson yesterday told a press conference at the CARICOM Secretariat at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara, that he senses a “pretty competitive elections” ahead.
“It is going to be a pretty competitive elections and we will closely monitor what is happening and what is being said,” he said.
Simpson and Deputy Head of the Mission Josephine Tamai, who is the Chief Elections Officer in the Elections and Boundaries Department of Belize, have met with Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud for an overview of the security situation of the country and an assessment of the plans and strategies for the elections process. They also discussed the culmination of the elections and the announcement of the results.
The team will be observing the elections process, including the campaign period, the opening of the poll on Elections Day, the voting procedures during the course of the day, the close of poll at the end of the day and the counting of ballots.
They will assess the preparations for the poll and the transmission of the results to the returning officers and the Guyana Elections Com-mission.
They will also evaluate the conduct of the electoral officials and political stakeholders, and the overall electoral environment and the impact of the results on the social and political environment.
Simpson noted that after the team was finished with observing polling procedures and counting of the ballots, it will compile a preliminary statement on its initial assessment of the process.
A final report will also be prepared, outlining the team’s observations and recommendations.
He stated that it was the team’s intention to visit as many polling locations and stations on Elections Day. “We will visit as many polling locations and stations to take a broad representative sample of the process,” he said.
Simpson added that the team will be eager to meet as many Guyanese as possible on polling day. He stated that they were prepared to work closely with other international and local observers to ensure maximum coverage of the elections.
“It is important to point out that we are committed to be neutral, impartial, objective and independent. Let me say clearly, we are unable to visit every polling station or to be present everywhere,” he pointed out, while, however, saying that the CARICOM team included persons with vast electoral experience, which spans elections, administration and political representation.
“Our varying experiences will no doubt allow us to provide meaningful insight into the electoral process.
We are here to observe the process and form an impartial judgement on its creditability.
We have no executive role,” he said.
The team is expected to meet soon with the Guyana Elections Commission, the Guyana Public Service Union, the Guyana Human Rights Association and the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission.
They also plan to meet with the Guyana Trades Union Congress and the Guyana Council of Churches.
