Campaign financing laws being looked at – VP Jagdeo

– as CoI cites lack of transparency, accountability in report

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has reassured that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is committed to, and working on, campaigning financing laws for Guyana.
This was one of the recommendations made by the recently concluded Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.
“[Campaign financing] is something that we’re looking into, and it’s part of our manifesto, if you look at the PPP Manifesto,” VP Jagdeo said when questioned about this recommendation.
In the report, which was handed over to President Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday, the COI panel pointed to the absence of the legislation applicable to campaign financing in Guyana.
“There is a lack of transparency and accountability regarding political parties and campaign financing. Political parties have historically raised funds without any limitations regarding the source or amount of donation, and with very little obligation to disclose election expenses. There is a strong need for such legislation, as there is a perception that persons and/or corporations who give large donations stand to gain political favours,” the report detailed.
Another recommendation highlighted in the CoI report is the political composition of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). Like the need for campaign financing laws, reforming GECOM to have a more balanced representation has been something suggested by several bodies and electoral observer missions in the past. Currently, the seven-member Elections Commission is comprised of the Chairperson, three commissioners nominated by the PPP/C and three commissioners nominated by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) – the leading party in the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) alliance.
According to the CoI report, this politicization of GECOM is making it difficult for the body to operate with any efficiency or effectiveness.
“Consideration should be given to amending this to allow for more balanced participation from other organizations or professionals with technical expertise, thereby reducing the politicization of the electoral process,” the CoI panel recommended, while citing a similar sentiment in a 2001 Carter Center report.
However, Jagdeo posited that “…one thing I think was ignored – and I keep telling the donors – is that the threat did not come from the Commission; the threat came from the Secretariat technical staff. And just Imagine if we didn’t have a commission [with political representation].”
He reminded of the various attempts by embattled former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, who headed the Elections Secretariat during the 2020 elections, to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Guyanese, as well as his blatant disregard for directions given to him by the Elections Commission when compiling his report to declare the results of the 2020 polls.
“So, the political body, the commission, had that not been in place and [Lowenfield] was there alone at the technical level, as many countries have, we would have had a different result. He would’ve declared [the false results],” Jagdeo stated.
With regard to those recommendations on the electoral process, the CoI panel recognised that the current Government has already taken steps to address some of those ambiguities and deficiencies when it made sweeping amendments to the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) in 2022.
“We’ve already started strengthening the system to leave very little room for capricious action, and that has been acknowledged in the report through the changes in ROPA. The changes have been far-reaching, with a series of penalties and clarity as to what can happen in an election: how you go through the counting, so that the farce that you see wouldn’t repeat itself; the transparency surrounding the SOPs (Statements of Poll) being made public before the count starts; all of that has been addressed. So, a lot of the things has been overtaken because of the changes in ROPA, and that has been acknowledged in the report,” the Vice President noted.
However, he assured that the other recommendations made would be examined to strengthen the local electoral system. Already, he recognised the need to look at other laws, such as those governing Local Government Elections. For example, the Municipal Act, which will have to be revised in order to ensure that the events of 2020 are not repeated during another electoral process.
While noting that the ROPA Amendments addressed the major anomalies, the CoI panel nonetheless made some recommendations to ensure that all persons who are eligible to vote be allowed to exercise their franchise. They recommended that legislation be enacted to facilitate: persons with limited mobility not having to climb stairs to vote; visually-impaired persons voting by using ballots prepared in Braille; hearing- impaired persons being given the required assistance by a qualified sign language translator; and persons who are challenged by other means being able to overcome those challenges.
VP Jagdeo further indicated on Thursday that the CoI report has to be examined by the Government, and will be tabled in the National Assembly soon.