Elections represent progress in democracy
…says process was transparent
THE Commonwealth Observer Group here said, yesterday, that the just concluded national elections represented progress in the strengthening of the country’s democratic processes. The Chairman, Mr. Denis Marshall made that assessment in an interim statement issued during a press briefing at Cara Lodge, in Quamina Street, Georgetown.
“Up to this point, many of the benchmarks for democratic elections have been met, even though some concerns, notably in terms of aspects of the campaign, do remain to be addressed for the future,” he said.
He added: “The elections were competitive and basic freedoms of association, assembly and movement were provided for.”
The Commonwealth group pronounced that the elections campaign was peaceful except for some isolated incidents.
Marshall commended the establishment and signing of the Political Parties and Media Codes of Conduct but said these should move beyond merely affixture signatures.
“Concerns were raised, with us, that the code was not wholly followed and respected and that State resources were used in the interests of the ruling party,” he reported, referring to the code specific to political parties.
According to him, whilst the media code specifies that there be an “equitable share of coverage to all registered parties”, the State owned television, radio and print media showed “overt bias” in favour of the Government and the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
“While the development of codes of conduct for parties and media is welcomed, it is not enough for them merely to be signed by the stakeholders. Such codes must also be respected and, where necessary, include mechanisms for enforcement,” Marshall proposed.
The Commonwealth observers also said GECOM seemed to have been well prepared to hold the elections, as voter registration surpassed previous years. Elections materials were distributed on time to ensure early opening of polling stations and the polling day staff were well trained.
Commonwealth teams that were dispatched around the country have found that, on Elections Day, voting proceeded “generally smoothly” and that the overall process was well managed.

WORKED DILIGENTLY
“Commonwealth teams followed the count at polling stations and reported that the process was transparent and electoral officials worked diligently to complete the count at the polling station level,” Marshall related.
As GECOM concluded its tabulation yesterday, Marshall, a former Government Minister in New Zealand, called on Guyanese to be patient and allow the commission to finalise the results.
However, he emphasised that it is important for GECOM to conclude this process in a timely and transparent manner, in order to ensure accountability and maintain confidence.
Responding to questions about the sloth in reporting the results, Marshall explained that the systems employed by GECOM are complex and responsible for the lengthy period. This, he stated was necessary given what has happened in the past.
Moving forward to implement less time consuming methods would be dependent on the will of the people, he pointed out.
The Commonwealth Observer Group has been in Guyana since November 21, during which time they have met with GECOM, representatives of political parties, civil society, the media and other local and international observer missions.
Commonwealth teams reported from eight of the 10 Administrative Regions and will issue a final statement that will feature conclusions and recommendations on the entire process.