The Commonwealth Secretariat’s final report on the conduct of Guyana’s general and regional elections 2011 has cited several issues that must be adequately addressed before the next elections are held. The report, despite stating that the election process was democratic, did not fail to highlight some of the shortcomings observed at the polls.
Members of the Commonwealth elections observer group pose for a photograph following a news conference at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street on November 23, 2111. The group had promised to be impartial and objective in their assessment of the conduct of the elections held on November 28, 2011 (Carl Croker photo)
According to the report released on December 22, the elections were credible and “many of the benchmarks for democratic elections were met,” though there are particular concerns as it relates to the tabulation and management of the election process.
The Commonwealth group of observers noted that “Strong consideration should be given to ending the practice of having political appointees as members of the elections commission”. The group said there is need for the integrity of the commission to be upheld, noting that it is mandatory that the entity be “independent and above politics at all levels”. The report stated that once the integrity of the commission is high, there are measures that can be put in place to ensure the confidence of political parties as well as accountability.
Accordingly, “The respective roles of commissioners vis-a-vis the role of the chief election officer should be more clearly defined, ensuring that the CEO have the space and mandate to fully undertake his/ her duties in an effective and timely manner”.
The electoral system should be amended to require the political parties to submit fixed ordinal lists, the report stated. This would in effect ensure that all voters be knowledgeable about which candidate is most likely to take up seats in the National Assembly.
That aside, the report has recommended that there be the proper implementation of the laws for declaration and public disclosure of campaign funding and expenditure to ensure high levels of accountability and transparency.
“There may also be a case to strengthen such regulations,” it stated.
Additionally, the report has indicated that “Election petitions need to be adjudicated upon in a timelier manner in order to fully provide for a right to an effective legal remedy. Possible solutions could include having special judicial timelines for election-related complaints or even special election courts.
Moreover, the Commonwealth group indicated that the democratic principles of participation and representation, as well as the basic freedoms of association, assembly, expression and movement, were observed. It was also noted that the campaign was generally peaceful, although there were some reported incidents involving the disruption of political meetings by opposing party supporters, resulting in scuffles and arrests.
In all instances, the police were quick to intervene, preventing the situations from escalating.
It has been recommended also that steps be taken to strengthen and enforce rules on the use of public resources during election campaigns so as to ensure a “more level playing field for all parties and reduce the abuse of state resources through the power of incumbency”.
Meanwhile, the political parties are urged to strengthen their adherence to the GECOM Code of Conduct for Political Parties and respect for election laws before, during and after the election period.
Media behaviour
The media too have been urged to strengthen their adherence to the GECOM Code of Conduct for Media, governing the behaviour of media organisations and practitioners before, during and after the election to ensure fairness, balance, accuracy and integrity in reportage.
“In particular, we recommend that state owned media provide equitable coverage of all parties, as by their nature, state-owned enterprises should be duty bound to serve the public interest generally rather than one party.”
Appropriate measures should be expedited to allow multiple nationwide radio and television operators.
The people of Guyana should have access to a choice of media outlets for their information.
Media diversity facilitates information from different sources and perspectives and promotes dialogue and debate on issues, so that the voices of many rather than a few can be heard. Media diversity encourages healthy competition for quality, timeliness, reliability and talent,” the report added.
The Commonwealth report also noted the need for there to be continued monitoring and reporting on media fairness, a job done by the media monitoring unit (MMU).
