THE Guyana Elections Commission is capable of delivering the upcoming May 11 General and Regional elections, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).The endorsement formed part of a report, seen exclusively by the Guyana Chronicle, following the end of the UNDP’s five-day needs assessment mission.

“GECOM is a well-respected institution, with few criticising its operational capacity of ability to deliver elections. Relatively recent initiatives to update the voter list and maintain a permanent biometric voter roll all seem to have had a positive impact on the credibility of GECOM,” the report said.
It added that the “peaceful and dispute free” conduct of the last two elections in Guyana, the 2011 and 2006 polls, point to a maturing democratic culture.
The UNDP report said, “The peaceful and dispute free conduct of the last two elections in Guyana has been characterised as a sign that Guyana’s democratic culture is maturing, following the troubled times of the 1990s.”
The needs assessment report concluded that UNDP assistance should be the principal vehicle for the provision of United Nations electoral assistance to Guyana.
“UNDP assistance is broadly seen in a positive light,” the report said.
The report’s completion comes after a small delegation of electoral experts from UNDP discussed a number of pertinent issues pertaining to the effective and efficient management of the May 11 elections in early February.
During the meeting, the team discussed the upcoming elections and the challenges the Commission may face in the successful delivery of the polls in May. Some of the points discussed included: results management, electoral disputes, party financing, gender, voter information, and campaign access to media, as well as the role of international and national observer groups.
GECOM also reportedly took the opportunity to highlight the Commission’s current state of preparation for the conduct of elections, and further highlighted several areas, including the provision of consultancies, advisors, and experts – particularly in the area of Civic and Voter Education – in which there can be greater collaboration between the Commission and the UNDP.
The UNDP was in Guyana from February 9th to 13th. (Vanessa Narine)