THE International Community continues to pay keen attention to Guyana’s 2015 General and Regional Elections and yesterday Head of the Commonwealth Observer Mission, Kate Wilkinson, met with members of the local media corps and assured that a watchful eye will be kept before, during and after the historic polls on Monday.“We will assess whether the elections have been conducted according to the standards to which Guyana has committed itself, including through its constitutional and legislative framework and relevant Commonwealth and international commitments,” Ms. Wilkinson told journalists, yesterday at the Cara Lodge.

E-DAY
Having arrived in Guyana on Tuesday last, Ms. Wilkinson told reporters that already the team has met with a number of key stakeholders, including the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), political parties, members of the press corps and other international organisations.
She told media operatives, as the Elections date draws near, the observer team intends, “over the next two days (today and tomorrow) we will continue to meet with a range of relevant stakeholders, including domestic and other international Observer groups, youth representatives and members of the business community…We plan to take every opportunity to see and understand the election process for ourselves.”
Ms. Wilkinson informed that by Saturday, “Our teams will deploy to Regions across the country to observe the election environment and preparations for Election Day.”
On ‘E-Day’, according to Ms. Wilkinson, Head of the Commonwealth Elections Observer Mission, “our teams will observe the opening and closing of the polls, the polling itself, counting of votes and transmittal of results.”
Ms. Wilkinson, a member of the House of Representatives of New Zealand, up until last year is accompanied to Guyana with a contingent of seven from different regions of the Commonwealth and from a range of professions and areas of expertise.
Those accompanying Ms. Wilkinson as part of the Commonwealth Observer Mission includes: Dr. Noor Mohamed, the former Deputy Elections Commissioner of India; Rajwantee Bullock, the Trinidad and Tobago Government Consular; Ahmed Hassan, the Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission from Kenya; Nana Afadzinu, Executive Director of the West African Civil Society Institute of Ghana; Dr. Hume Johnson, a Professor of Public Relations and Media Studies out of Jamaica along with leader of the Commonwealth Secretariat Staff, Head of the Caribbean/Pacific, political division, Albert Mariner.

CONSULTING
Cognisant of the local terrain and limited resources available to effectively monitor the election process and with more than 2,000 polling stations scattered across the country, Ms. Wilkinson informed that the Commonwealth Group will be consulting extensively with other Observer groups which will have teams throughout the country.
“That’s where we work well with the other international observer groups to ensure that the coverage is as broad as it possibly can…Of course we cannot be in all 2,000 plus polling stations but we will endeavour to cover the regions and the areas we think deserve the most attention.”
FINAL REPORT
While the Mission Head, did commit to an Interim Statement being made public on the key findings, shortly after the May 11, elections, the final and substantive report will be prepared and submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, who will in turn forward it to the Government of Guyana, the Elections Commission, the leadership of political parties, and then to all the Commonwealth governments.
The report, Ms. Wilkinson assured, will also be made publicly available, in Guyana and throughout the Commonwealth.
She used the opportunity, as have numerous other local and international organisations, to also call on the various political parties contesting this year’s General and Regional Elections, “to take a constructive approach to campaigning in these remaining days before the election…We also strongly urge the parties to respond to the officially declared results in a responsible manner.”
‘OP’ INVITATION
She informed that the group was constituted by Commonwealth Secretary-General, Sharma, following an invitation from the Office of the President of Guyana and the findings of an assessment team which was in Guyana last month.
“It is our responsibility as observers to consider factors relating to the credibility of the electoral process as a whole…This includes observing and evaluating the pre-election period, Election Day itself, as well as the post-election period,” she said.
Ms. Wilkinson also sought to assure that members of the Commonwealth Observer group are participating in their individual capacities and “we act with impartiality, objectivity and independence…We do not have a supervisory role.”
CONCERNS
Following the vote of the Disciplined Services on Saturday last, some concerns were raised by at least one political party and according to Ms. Wilkinson, those concerns have been documented and will form a part of the final report to be issued to the Commonwealth Secretary General.
She cautioned that the Commonwealth team at this time would refrain from speaking publicly to any of the specifics raised by any of the political parties, following the vote by the Disciplined Services.
According to Ms. Wilkinson, the team will be guided by its specific terms of references which speak to impartiality and independence.
She did stress that as it relates to the Guyana Elections and the 2015 date with the polls, “we are not here in an executive role, we are not here to supervise.”
STRONG CALL
Fielding criticisms, to the effect that recommendations by Commonwealth and similar such groupings over the years have consistently failed to be taken on board by administrations, Ms. Wilkinson made it clear, the body was not responsible for the enforcement of any of its recommendations and are only present as observers at the request of Office of the President.
Mariner, also defended the role of the international group in Guyana as part of the Elections process.
He told media operatives it was during a recent assessment mission by the Commonwealth to Guyana, following the Office of the President invitation, “there was a strong call that we need the Commonwealth observers to come in.”
The assessment mission was held with GECOM, the various political parties, private sector and a host of other stakeholders in Guyana.

By Gary Eleazar