THIS week, Guyana goes to the polls in its first Local Government Elections (LGE) in 22 years. The length of time since the last LGE cannot be underscored more, since it means that an entire generation of voters has not had the experience of voting in local government elections.However partisan these elections on Friday, March 18, may turn out to be, the dynamics are starkly different from general elections. Whereas, in the latter, the country virtually becomes one constituency, in the LGE, we, in effect, have 70 different elections, each with its own particular characteristics.

After a relatively slow start to the campaigns, largely due to the intervening Christmas season and a seeming lack of interest on the part of the electorate, the pace has picked up considerably over the last couple of weeks. The latter development is due to increased coverage in the media; a more robust education outreach programme by GECOM and independent organizations, such as Cuffy 250; and the entrance into the campaign of the big parties.

For its part, the print media have given much more coverage to the platforms of the candidates and the organizations and parties contesting mainly in Georgetown. There has been far less coverage of the groups in the rural areas, although there has been some coverage of Bartica and Linden. Certainly this is one area that needs tightening going forward.

The media have not done as good a job as they could in general coverage of rural Guyana. Many of the candidates have opted for house-to-house visits, as opposed to the traditional street corner public meetings. There has also been heavy emphasis on Social Media, where it is felt that that media hold the key to connecting with younger voters.

This downplaying of the public meeting format may well turn out to be a mistake in a Guyana which still seems to be wedded to that form of political campaigning.

In Georgetown, a public debate hosted by one of the NGOs seemed to have reached quite a large audience. There is another one planned for this coming week. One wonders whether these debates have not come a little too late to have the desired impact. Voter turn-out is going to be very key in these elections; it seems as though the group or candidate which is able to influence more turnout is likely to do better than the competition, but in the absence of any polling, these are mere speculations. What we do know is that, in the disciplined services voting, voter turnout was relatively low.

The entry to the campaign trail of the members of the ruling Coalition Government is of significance. While the PPP does not face any independent challenge in its traditional constituency, the Coalition parties are facing competition in their political strongholds. In Georgetown, Linden and Bartica, for example, the Coalition faces seemingly stiff challenges from independent groups and candidates. In Georgetown, groups such as Team Benschop, Youth for Local Government and Team Legacy are campaigning vigorously to win voters who otherwise would vote for the ruling Coalition. The outcomes of these races will tell us the extent to which the popular masses would like to see the political parties stay out of LGE.

The President has hit the campaign trail, and has reportedly called on voters to vote for candidates they trust. That he and other Ministers are on the trail suggests that they are taking these elections very seriously.

Some have argued that the elections would be seen as a referendum on the government. While we do not share that view in its totality, it cannot be dismissed out of hand. Coming so soon after the general election, the opposition PPP is expected to frame the LGE as such, and this should not be taken for granted by the ruling Coalition.

Whatever happens on Friday, one thing is certain: the country’s democracy would be better off. At a time when voter-interest is at an all-time low in the wider Caribbean, one should also pay attention to the turnout at the election. The jury is out on whether the Independent groups and candidates are able to bring new voters into the mix. We shall see.

In the meantime, we urge citizens to go out and cast their votes, for it is one of a person’s more important civic duties.