IN its first report, the Carter Centre disclosed that its preliminary report will be available by May 13 and it also expressed the view that electoral preparations appear to be on track in most of the country.“In most parts of the country, electoral preparations appear to be on course, and in some areas, preparations are ahead of schedule. In some more remote areas, there are concerns about the status of logistical preparations,” the Centre said in a release on Tuesday.

CONCERNS
Of concern, according to the Centre is the “divisive campaign rhetoric” being peddled, although it did not cite specific references.
The Carter Centre said, “Observers reported that they heard many allegations of electoral offences being committed by supporters of both of the main political parties. These were principally about the destruction of flags, banners, and billboards.
“…the Carter Centre is deeply concerned about the provocative rhetoric in the campaign and condemns any attempt to sow fear and distrust among Guyana’s ethnic groups or to undermine confidence in its electoral process and institutions.”
General Secretary of the ruling party, Clement Rohee, when asked to respond to the Carter Centre’s concerns stated that the concern expressed was reflected in a broad statement.
He added that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic’s (PPP/C) campaign has and continues to be a national campaign with broad-based messages.
“I couldn’t see anything cleaner,” he asserted, during a news conference held yesterday at Freedom House.
Meanwhile, co-Chairman for the campaign of the alliance of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), Raphael Trotman, up to press time did not respond to queries from this newspaper regarding the Carter Centre’s concern.
However, executive member of APNU+AFC, Nigel Hughes, earlier this week in a statement assured that the alliance remains committed to not engaging in “gutter” tactics in the lead-up to the polls.
PSC CALL
Additionally, at an April news conference, Chairman of the Private Section Commission (PSC), Ramesh Persaud, who called for the “campaign rhetoric” to be toned down, stressing that Guyana must be “governed and governable” in the aftermath of the May 11 General and Regional Elections.

He said, “The Commission has noted with concern the seemingly escalating hostility with which candidates and supporters of the major political parties…this is an unfortunate and potentially dangerous development and we believe that all parties must accept responsibility for this situation.”
Consequently, he has called on the leadership of the major political parties to stem the “seemingly escalating hostility” with which supporters of both groups relate.
“We would like to urge the leaders of the PPP/C and APNU+AFC to confront and defeat this trend by coming together to make a joint statement which condemns all or any form of hostile behaviour and calls for tolerance on the part of each citizen, regardless of political persuasion,” he said.
When asked, he explained that the PSC envisions that the joint statement will be a nationally televised address to the nation by the leaders of both parties. “It will be a positive sign,” Persaud said.
With five days before the upcoming polls, this is still to be done, although major political parties have individually made such calls.
FEW COMPLAINTS
Another point raised by the Carter Centre was the fact that few formal complaints, regarding campaigning infractions were submitted to the police and to GECOM.
“The team encountered very few formal complaints submitted to [the] police and to the Election Commission,” it said.
The GECOM Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, confirmed this and added that the reports/ complaints made to the Commission ought to be accompanied with supporting evidence.
“What do we do when there is an incident, it is reported to GECOM, but we do not have the evidence?” he questioned.
All considered, Dr. Surujbally denounced the infractions as unnecessary and called for an end to such practices.
“All of this nonsense must stop,” he declared.
CODE OF CONDUCT
The Carter Centre also stressed that the Code of Conduct that was signed by all eight contesting political parties must be adhered to.

“It is imperative that political parties remain conscious of their obligations under the Political Party Code of Conduct for these elections and urge their supporters to behave accordingly as Election Day approaches,” the Centre said.
Now that political parties have signed on to the Code of Conduct, it is expected that they would abide by the protocols documented in the Code, all in the interest of free and fair General and Regional Elections. The advantage of having such an agreement in place, according to GECOM, relates to being able to guard against confrontational and vitriolic election campaign meetings/rallies and statements. GECOM regards contesting parties signing the Code as demonstrating their willingness to craft their respective election campaign strategies in ways that contribute to the maintenance of peace and tranquility throughout and beyond the elections.
“The Carter Centre encourages all Guyanese to make their strongest efforts to promote a peaceful and transparent electoral process. These elections are an important opportunity for Guyanese to strengthen their commitment to one another and further consolidate their democracy,” the Centre said.

Since April, the Carter Centre has deployed a team of five experts and six medium-term observers throughout the nation. They have conducted observations in all 10 of Guyana’s electoral districts and held meetings with a wide range of actors, including political parties, the election commission, civil society organisations, and the judiciary. The medium-term observation team will be joined this week by more than 50 short-term observers from 24 countries. The delegation will be co-led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Ambassador Audrey Glover of the United Kingdom, and former Barbados Minister of Foreign Affairs Billie Miller. They will witness the electoral process, including voting, counting, polling, and tabulation. The Carter Centre’s assessment of the electoral process will be based on Guyana’s constitution, national legal framework, and its various obligations for democratic elections under public international law, including relevant regional and international agreements. The Centre’s mission will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, which provides guidelines for professional and impartial election observation.

By Vanessa Narine