Elections commissioners meeting here to agree regional linkage
THE Association of Caribbean Electoral Organisations (ACEO) convened its sixth annual general meeting (AGM) in Guyana, at the Princess Hotel, at Providence, East Bank Demerara, yesterday, with a call to establish regional linkages with regards to the conduct of elections in various jurisdictions. Delivering the keynote address at the opening of the two-day forum, President Donald Ramotar expressed pleasure that it is being held here, given the history that this country has had with regard to elections.
He emphasised the importance of elections commissioners, pointing out that they have one of the most important roles to play, both in their individual countries and the Region by extension.
The Head of State said he believes there cannot be sustained social and economic development unless there is political democracy in the various countries and the Region, noting that any country which falls prey to undemocratic practices will affect the rest of the Region.
Hence, every country should have a keen interest in what is taking place in other societies, he said.
“I would like to admit that a free and fair election alone does not mean democracy; it means more than that. It means having a free press, functioning parliament, independent judiciary having absolutely no fear in the country about the creativeness of your people and the people can find expression without hindrance and undue interference,” President Ramotar asserted.

DEMOCRACY
He, however, maintained that while elections alone are not the only aspect of democracy, they are at the very heart of it and vital in that regard.
Commending the work of the ACEO, the Guyanese Leader stated that it provides the opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences and explore ways on how to improve the quality of elections conducted within the Region.

He cited cooperation between the various elections commissions in the Region as an important factor, while suggesting that there should be more open consultations and discussions on various issues.
Guyana has benefitted from some of the elections commissions within the Region, as in the case of the 1997 elections when Guyana was experiencing difficult times, a team of CARICOM officials came here to assist in the auditing of the elections, an important contribution which enabled Guyana to remain on the democratic path, the President admitted.
He expressed hope that the discussions over the two days will bear some fruits and that lasting linkages will be built in the Region.
President Ramotar proposed that the meeting becomes a regular feature and that there will be broader cooperation so that the entire Region could benefit from the experiences of all the elections commissions around CARICOM.
Chairman of Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr. Steve Surujbally, in his remarks, urged that, at the end of the discussions, they can come up with suggestions on how to implement new methods on simplifying the sharing of expertise within the Region, which will promote the development of linkages with other networks with similar objectives.
He suggested that CARICOM should have a document which contains all the rules with regard to elections in the various member countries and reflected on the time when the CARICOM Secretariat had an elections’ desk.
Surujbally said such documentation should exist, to include information on how the elections are conducted and the different systems that exist in various countries.
He also underscored the importance of an elections management board and its role in the conduct of any election, whether general or local government.
Partnership
The need to establish partnership with various stakeholders, such as political parties, civil society, trade unions, commercial organisations, the media and educational institutions was also mooted.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the ACEO, Dr. Norbert Masson told the gathering that the body comprises 23 members and called for the establishment of a website where there can be some level of interaction amongst the member States.
Having served in that capacity since 2010, he said he believes that if the member States get their acts right, they can achieve the ultimate objective of mastering elections management.
Among the topics to be covered during the deliberations are strategic planning for effective electoral management, identifying areas of mutual cooperation among ACEO members and routed through the ACEO secretariat, review of elections in member States, and establishment of a relationship with the media in terms of monitoring and creating guidelines for reporting.