– Commends improvements from 2020 Elections

The Commonwealth Election Observer mission issued its interim report today, noting that Guyana’s General and Regional Election was a smooth and peaceful one.

This was disclosed by the Chairperson of the observer group, Former Foreign Affairs Minister of Tonga, Fekitamoeloa Katoa Utoikamanu, during a press conference on Wednesday morning.

This election cycle, the observer group deployed teams in seven electoral districts across the country, those being Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine and Ten.

On polling day, the chairperson said that the general environment of the election day was peaceful, with polling generally opening on time.

Against this backdrop, the group commended the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for providing information desks, materials and signage in and around polling stations which were effective in guiding voters.

While noting that GECOM staff and polling staff worked with professionalism and diligence added that the procedures for conducting the count ensured trust in the process.

Moving to the close of polls, it was stated that they were able to observe the counting of ballot papers.

“The new tabulation process for Statements of Poll and District Tabulation forms was followed and was well understood by party agents. The ascertainment of votes, results, tabulation and verification were conducted with transparency and professionalism,” the chairperson added.

Further to this, the group commended the improvements from the 2020 election, which included the uploading of statements of poll to GECOM’s website, which can improve the accuracy and transparency of the results.

The observer mission to this end applauded the government’s work on the harmonisation of legislation to update and clarify the legal framework for elections through the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act (RoPA) and the National Registration (Amendment) Act (NRA).

The group is expected to formulate its full report and make it available within the coming months, encompassing further detailed observations.