State must ensure return of international Observers for recount – PSC

Foreign observers were invited by incumbent President, David Granger, to participate in the lead up to and tabulation of the March 2 General and Regional Elections, as such, it is now the duty of both the President and the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission “to facilitate the early return of the foreign observers by issuing such instructions and directions as are necessary.”

This was the stark warning handed down by Guyana’s business community when the Private Sector Commission (PSC) in a public statement declared that the “country has suffered long enough by the failure of GECOM to deliver on its constitutional mandate.”
According to the PSC, “the President and the Chairman, Justice Claudette Singh, must, therefore, act immediately so that a credible recount can begin expeditiously”.
The Business Support Organisation (BSO), led by Chairman, Captain Gerry Gouveia, was at the time responding to a public statement by the Carter Center that it is awaiting approval from the Government of Guyana for it to travel to Guyana to observe the recount of the votes cast in the March 2020 elections.
Gouveia has since noted that the “PSC, itself an observer to these elections, is aware of the valuable contribution of the Carter Center to democracy and free and fair elections in Guyana for more than 20 years”.
It was noted that the Carter Center is an accredited observer to the March 2020 election which remains incomplete until the declaration of the results.
GECOM Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Vincent Alexander have both publicly stated that all accreditations that had been given out to observers for the 2020 elections in Guyana remain valid.
As such, the PSC reminded that as the body constitutionally responsible for supervising elections, with the power to ensure fairness in the process, GECOM must ensure that the process is completed transparently and fairly and deliver results considered as credible by all fair-minded.
Since the enactment of the General Elections (Observers) Act No 17 of 1990, observers have been recognised as a vital part of the electoral process in Guyana. Just over a month ago, the democracy watchdog group reiterated their commitment to complete the process that they began in observing the 2020 elections.
The Center, in an April 1 statement, had reminded that their team had to make the difficult decision to depart Guyana on March 20, before the completion of the electoral process, due to several factors, including “harassment of observers by ruling party supporters”.
The team had also expressed concerns with regard to international travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 virus. However, despite the current circumstances, the Center has reiterated that “as a trusted partner, it was important for us to observe this election”.
Associate Director of the Center’s Democracy Programme, Brett Lacy firmly stated, “We’re still committed to observing the entire electoral process…Nonpartisan observers have an important role to play. We report what we see and hear to the rest of the world. Whoever wins the election should want to ensure that their victory is seen as credible.”