Opposition welcomes EU election follow-up mission to Guyana

Noting the presence of the European Union’s 2020 Election Observer Mission (EOM) follow-up team to assess whether progress has been made on electoral reforms in line with the recommendations of the EOM’s Final Report on the 2020 Guyana elections, the parliamentary Opposition has welcomed this move.

A statement on Thursday from the Opposition stated, “We welcome this EU initiative and stand ready to meet with the follow-up team to advance the agenda on electoral reforms”.
According to the Opposition, it has reviewed the 26 recommendations made in the final report of the 2020 EU EOM to Guyana.
“We fully endorse their objectives and believe, if implemented in good faith, they can greatly improve elections in Guyana,” it said.
In particular, specific recommendations were supported, which included overhauling the composition and functioning of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) through a national consultative process; the need for a thorough update of the decade-old register well ahead of the next election cycle; the need for clear written procedures for the transmission and tabulation of election results; the mandatory publication of all GECOM decisions, regulatory instruments, and instructions; the obligation for the Commission to regularly meet with stakeholders and the media to explain and account for all major decisions, prohibiting the use of State resources for political campaigning; and establishing a comprehensive election dispute resolution system to ensure effective and timely remedies throughout all stages of the electoral process.
“We look forward to working with the EU and all other stakeholders on electoral reforms,” the Opposition shared.
EU Ambassador to Guyana, Rene van Nes had announced this week that in continuing their contributions to capacity building in local institutions, the EU has fielded a team of experts to discuss electoral reform in Guyana with officials ahead of the upcoming 2025 General and Regional Elections.
Following the 2020 General and Regional Elections, the EU EOM had made a number of recommendations. Of the EU EOM’s 26 recommendations, eight are priority suggestions to review and consolidate the fragmented election legislation and launch a consultation process to overhaul the composition and functioning of GECOM.
Guyana has been undergoing electoral reform, which has been acknowledged by the EU. The group had, last year, reiterated its commitment to support this process as a follow-up to the EOM it carried out in Guyana for the 2020 General and Regional Elections.
The Government passed long-awaited amendments to the Representation of the People Act (RoPA) in December 2022, after impassioned debate from both sides of the House and arguments for and against the electoral reforms that ran past midnight. The Bill zeroes in on electoral challenges and loopholes that were evident during the 2020 polls and seeks to address them. Not only does the Bill increase the number of polling places, but it also mandates the Registrar of Deaths to submit the names of the deceased, so they could be removed from the list.
The Bill also caps the number of electors that can be assigned to a particular polling station, to cut down on the long lines and the subdivision of the regions.
According to Section 6 (A) of the Bill, the polling districts of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), and Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) will be divided.
The Bill also provides that the Statements of Poll (SoPs), among other certified forms, be distributed to the Chief Elections Officer and the Chairperson of GECOM.
Additionally, it provides for the Returning Officer to post an electronic copy of the SoPs on the Commission’s website to be publicly viewed. Strict fines and other penalties are attached to breaches of these reforms in the amended Bill.