The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has delivered free, fair and credible elections. This view was expressed by GECOM Chairperson, retired Justice Claudette Singh as she urged the public to have patience while her agency does its work.
GECOM Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh is flanked by GECOM PRO Yolanda Ward (left) and GECOM CEO Keith Lowenfield
Justice Singh was at the time speaking at a press conference called by GECOM at its media centre to provide an update and some preliminary results. The Chairperson lauded her staff for their dedication on Elections Day, noting that they worked well into the night.
“Our elections were, as promised, GECOM has delivered free, fair and credible elections… The elections [on Monday] were well run. And on behalf of the Commission, I wish to express sincere thanks and appreciation to our CEO and the hard-working Secretariat. They did a fantastic job. They were working day into night without realising they were working in the night.”
She added that despite the many “rough” times, which “we had to endure to get here. I will urge you to be patient… the results are trickling in and the process of verification is being conducted.”
Singh’s view was backed by members of the diplomatic community. United Kingdom High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn; United States Ambassador, Sarah Ann-Lynch and European Union Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponce-Canto, all declared that the process was smooth and free from any rigging.
This election went down as one of the most watched and monitored in Guyana’s recent history, with a number of international observers and technical advisors in the country to oversee the process. For instance, it was the first time that the European Union deployed a fully-fledged team of observers on the ground for Guyana’s elections.
The Carter Center was also involved, with Chairperson of The Carter Center Board of Trustees, Jason J Carter (the grandson of former US President Jimmy Carter) on the ground leading the Carter Center’s international election observer mission in Guyana.
Other overseas-based observers that participated in overseeing the election included teams from the Organisation of American States (OAS), as well as the Caribbean Community (Caricom), who this publication encountered periodically at various Polling Stations.
GECOM also received assistance from a number of technical advisors who were provided by other countries and international organisations. Canada, for instance, provided GECOM with Jean-Pierre Kingsley, a Canadian elections expert.
The Commonwealth also provided the services of its senior technical advisor, Dr Afari Gyan. In addition, Dr Syed Nasim Zaidi, an elections advisor from India, also joined the team.
