Having played pivotal roles in observing Guyana’s controversial March 2nd general elections, the Organisation of American States (OAS) and CARICOM are preparing to monitor Suriname’s general elections on May 25th.
To tackle the challenges occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic, the OAS said in a press release on May 14 that it will inaugurate a two-pronged approach to its observation work, utilizing both virtual engagement prior to its arrival in Paramaribo, together with the more traditional in-person meetings with stakeholders on the ground.
The OAS said that the ten-member mission, led by Gonzalo Koncke, Chief of Staff in the General Secretariat, will comprise specialists in electoral organization and technology, electoral justice, political-electoral finance and the political participation of women.
The release said that the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) will also conduct a comprehensive analysis of Suriname’s electoral process and follow-up on the recommendations resulting from the 2015 Electoral Observation Mission.
The OAS has been playing a pivotal role in Guyana’s electoral process which is still to be concluded. Two of its observers are currently monitoring the recount of votes which is currently taking place. The Head of the OAS team at the Guyana elections, Bruce Golding last week made a dramatic presentation to the body’s Permanent Council where he exposed fraud that had occurred in District Four here.
Recognizing that Suriname is currently free of Covid-19 cases –the Mission said it will comply with all precautionary measures implemented by Suriname with regard to the pandemic including Covid-19 testing and quarantine for all members upon their arrival in the country.
In order to guarantee the independence and effective functioning of the Mission, OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, and the Permanent Representative of Suri-name to the OAS, Ambassador Niermala Badrising, signed the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the Observers for the General Elections.
Suriname’s Permanent Representative said that 17 political parties will be participating in the upcoming elections for the National Assembly, Regional Councils and District Councils. Approximately 380,000 voters in 10 electoral districts will cast their votes.
For his part, Almagro observed that this is the first EOM to be initiated and deployed by the OAS since the Covid-19 pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization on March 11th. He lauded the agility of the professionals within the OAS Department of Electoral Coopera-tion and Observation in designing an approach that allows the Mission to effectively deliver its observation work, while safeguarding the health and safety of both OAS observers and the stakeholders in Suriname.
The OAS has observed the last six electoral processes in Suriname, from 1987 to 2015.
CARICOM in a statement yesterday said that its four-member Mission which arrived in Suriname on Monday, 18 May 2020 is headed by Dora James, Super-visor of Elections of St. Vincent and the Grenadines who has served as a member of CARICOM Election Observation Missions to other CARICOM Member States.
The statement said that election observation serves as a platform to support existing democratic traditions within the Community as part of its wider policy of supporting democracy and good governance.
CARICOM continues to play a pivotal role in Guyana’s still-to-be-concluded general elections. Three observers from the body are currently monitoring the recount and will submit a report on the conclusion of the process.
