The Commonwealth Observer Group in its preliminary findings has congratulated the Guyana Elections Commission on its managing of the electoral process however it noted that the present legal framework was not conducive to a faster result declaration and it also raised concerns about inequitable access to the state media.
Head of the Mission Kate Wilkinson yesterday stated that “I think it would be preferable to have a smaller interval between the closing of polls and the declaration of the official results but I understand the larger framework was not entirely conducive to that and at the end of the day Gecom is operating within the law…and they have certain constraints within the legal framework”. She was speaking during a press briefing at Cara Lodge.
She noted that she was not disclosing the final recommendations of the report, however, the team was contemplating the above.
On its election day observations, the Commonwealth said:
“It is our assessment that all aspects of the opening of polls, voting and counting of results were conducted to a high standard, and for this the polling staff and GECOM are to be commended. Polling stations opened on time, were appropriately laid out and were supplied with adequate materials. The need to protect the secrecy of the ballot was clearly well thought-out, and the layout of most polling stations more than adequately provided for it.
“Polling staff appeared to be knowledgeable, methodical and diligent in following the laid out voting and vote counting procedure. We saw a high number of all-female polling staff teams. Political party agents and domestic observers appeared to be satisfied with the transparency of the process at all of its stages.
“It was evident that polling officials were ready to assist elderly and disabled voters, but the location and layout of polling stations were in several cases not designed to facilitate those with limited or different physical or other needs”.
While paperwork on results and information had to make its way to Georgetown, Wilkinson noted that it was alarming how quickly rumours spread throughout the countryside with the majority proving to be false. She urged citizens to have patience as they await Gecom’s results.
She said that rumours of double voting and stolen ballots boxes were quickly ventilated in the public however they were not helpful in encouraging peaceful elections.
“The instances of double voting do not seem to be significant enough to have a material effect,” Wilkinson said when she spoke about the various alleged irregularities reported and the possible impact on the election results.
Speaking on political campaigning and the media environment, Wilkinson said that the concerns raised by the Media Monitoring Unit of Gecom about inflammatory rhetoric and personal attacks by the political leadership were “especially disappointing as it violated the voluntary code of conduct agreed by political parties, which is aimed at guarding against malicious and confrontational complaining.”
She called the campaigning “robust” but reiterated that some of the rhetoric was alarming, adding that “we note with concern a number of allegations of direct vote buying and the misuse of state resources to induce voters.”
The Commonwealth Mission Head reiterated previous calls to have fair access across the political spectrum to the state media which she said was not the case during this election noting that there was “the domination of state-owned media.”
Wilkinson addressed the lack of access for the differently-abled and elderly at some polling stations. “The location and layout of polling stations were in several cases not designed to facilitate those with limited or different physical or other needs,” she said, while highlighting that polling staff were ready and willing to assist the elderly and disabled voters.
St Sidwell
Wilkinson spoke briefly about the incident at St Sidwell Primary School on election day where it was alleged that the PPP/C candidate Kwame McCoy was beaten by opposition supporters even though eyewitness accounts, photographic and video evidence indicated otherwise.
The Head of the Commonwealth Mission stated that the incident at the school was “responsibly contained by the leadership of a contesting political alliance, the police and polling staff.” She did not identify anyone but it was the Leader of the opposition alliance, David Granger who helped to defuse the situation.
When asked by the media about the matter, she recalled that she did not see any physical injuries stemming from the incident at the time. Wilkinson was on site during the incident.
On Tuesday, Stabroek News had asked President Donald Ramotar for a comment in relation to the incident at which point he became angry and accused Granger of organizing an attack which resulted in McCoy having his jaw broken prior to being escorted to the awaiting police vehicle. Stabroek News was on the ground at the time of the incident and there was no sign of a physical attack on McCoy. The attack would have had to have occurred after he was driven away from the scene.
The Commonwealth mission will depart on May 17 at which point a final report detailing all findings and assessments will be submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma who will in turn release it to Gecom and political parties.
