THE VARIOUS Missions observing the 2011 General and Regional Elections here are satisfied that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has put the necessary systems in place for the successful staging of the activity. Professor Gordon Shirley, Chief of Mission for the Organisation of American States (OAS) has said that he and members of the Electoral Observer Mission team have conducted a large number of meetings and interviews over the past week to assess the political and social context in these days leading up to tomorrow’s polls.
“I have personally met with representatives of political parties, the electoral authorities, civil society, and the media to assess the environment in the period leading up to Election Day,” Professor Shirley said, adding:
“Following these meetings, I am encouraged that all interveners in the electoral process have confidence in the general and regional elections of Monday November 28, 2011, that preparations for the vote are well in hand and that there are no significant impediments to delivering a smooth and inclusive general and regional election.”
Over the last few days, Shirley and his team have met senior government officials, political parties fielding presidential candidates, Amerindian groups, civil society organizations and GECOM officials among other interest groups.
And while Head of the Commonwealth Observer Mission Dennis Marshall declined to detail the groups he met, he did concede that “a lot of the concerns raised were the traditional ones; nothing different from what is reported in the media.”
He, however, believes that the major stakeholders are positive about how the elections will be conducted.
The Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB) is a local observer group, and is chaired by Father Malcolm Rodrigues. He told the Guyana Chronicle that while he was pleased with GECOM’s level of preparedness, he was disappointed that the EAB could not, for financial reasons, scrutinize the Official List of Electors before polling day.
Said he: “While it is true that no list is perfect, I think what the electorate would like to know is the degree of imperfection, and that is why we normally go and study it… for how inaccurate is the list… We are disappointed that we were not able to do it this time.”
Meanwhile, he had this bit of advice to offer his fellow countrymen as they prepare to go to the polls tomorrow:
“Guyanese who are going to vote need to understand that their parties have signed a Code of Conduct; I think they also have to have respect for that, and I think if the party says we accept the results… if they have any objections, they go to the court. I think they should accept it’s the way to go.”
Hensley Robinson of Barbados is heading CARICOM’s Observer Mission, and he said that after meeting with GECOM Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally and Chief Elections Officer, Mr. Gocool Boodoo, he is satisfied with the way things are heading.
“I’m fairly satisfied that they are ready,” he said. “Obviously, I can only go by what they say to me, and from my experiences in electoral matters, what they have said to me they seem very well prepared for the elections on Monday. Since I’ve been here, I can only say what I have observed. I don’t detect ‘uncomfortableness’ on a large scale.”
He said that while there have been some reports, citizens should not be overly worried, since discomfort is a feature of elections anywhere.
“I was also here in 2006, and we had a very calm elections. I hope we have just as peaceful an election as we had in 2006,” he concluded.