FAIR, transparent and organised were terms used by members of the diplomatic corps who had congregated at City Hall Tuesday to observe Nomination Day proceedings.The Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Mr Keith Lowenfield received the lists of candidates from several parties, including the two major contenders, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and the coalition of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC).

The Commission came in for kudos for the way it received the political contenders in what was the culmination of energised parades by the PPP/C and APNU+AFC.

Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy, Mr. Bryan Hunt, told the Guyana Chronicle in an invited comment that the proceedings were “well organised; and from all indications, it is a transparent, credible and fair process.”

He said that GECOM and the political parties ought to be applauded for the conduct of the afternoon’s affairs.

Echoing similar sentiments was the Consular officer at Canadian High Commission, Mr. Robert Hart, who said the open and transparent manner in which the day’s proceedings were handled bodes well for bolstering confidence in the electoral process.

Russian Ambassador Nikolay Smirnov was also on hand to speak to the Guyana Chronicle yesterday. He said: “GECOM is doing a good job. The responsibility to manage a country’s elections is a big responsibility, and today’s activities were democratic and transparent. It is good to ensure that there is a peaceful election, absent of violence,” he said.

Smirnov added he is of the opinion that the 2015 polls would be a free and fair process if yesterday’s proceedings were any yardstick by which to judge future management of the process.

Surinamese Ambassador to Guyana, Nisha Kurban-Baboe, was another member of the diplomatic corps with kudos for GECOM.

“It (Nomination Day activities) is done in an orderly manner. The process is not dissimilar to what happens in Suriname. The fact that we (the diplomatic corps) have been invited adds to the transparency of the management of elections in Guyana. It is not a closed-door session; it is open and credible,” she said.

Representatives of international agencies were also present at City Hall yesterday. United Nations’ Resident Coordinator Dr. Khadija Musa told the Guyana Chronicle that the day’s proceedings were “excellent and transparent.”

“It was peaceful, and we hope that the peace continues into the May 11 General and Regional Elections,” she said.

Organisation of American States’ (OAS) Country Representative Mr. Jean Ricot Dormeus was the second member of the international community to observe the nomination day activities: “The entire process was very well organised and transparent, which is a plus for the Guyana Elections Commission. So far, everyone seems satisfied,” he said.

Notably, GECOM has committed to ensuring that all activities leading up to the May 11 General and Regional Elections, which are just over a month away, will be conducted in an efficient and transparent manner.

By Vanessa Narine