Article 13 is calling for the reform of the Guyana Election Commission as a matter of priority. The civil society group issued a press release last evening calling into question the accountability of the elections body given its current structure where the two major political parties fills the seats of the commission.
According to Article 13, civil society groups, international observers and the wider Guyanese public have expressed over the past two decades that Guyana’s election system requires a comprehensive review to achieve a system that holds politicians to account and realize the aspiration of a participatory democracy. Article 13 says the steady drumbeat of these calls has evidently become too loud to ignore. It further said that the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry into the 2020 election crisis falls short of what is needed, but nevertheless, is a step in the right direction. The civil society group also welcomed the announcement of a Constitutional Reform Commission and the upcoming government sponsored stakeholder forum on Electoral Reform.