Guyana should take pride in the peaceful, orderly way its election day unfolded, The Carter Center said in a preliminary statement released today. Looking ahead, though, its next leaders will need to institute reforms to create a more level playing field and increase voters’ trust in the electoral process.
The Center’s statement includes an initial assessment of preelection, election day, and early tabulation processes; however, tabulation has not concluded, nor have official results been announced. Carter Center observers will continue to monitor events and produce a final report sometime after any electoral disputes are resolved.
On election day, about 50 Carter Center observers visited 234 polling stations at 204 polling places in all 10 electoral districts. They also visited all 17 tabulation centers. They reported that in those stations, voters peacefully exercised their rights and that polling staff, party agents, and officials from the Guyana Elections Commission carried out their duties with integrity and professionalism.
Guyana has seen enormous economic gains since the discovery of offshore oil, heightening stakes and making the need for certain constitutional and legal reforms to its electoral processes even more critical. The Carter Center urges Guyana’s leaders to reform the campaign finance system and to ensure greater access to public information for their citizens.
To address persistent questions about the size and integrity of the voter list, GECOM should implement the new legal procedures for removing the names of voters who have died within Guyana. It should also look to international experience for removing electors who have died overseas.
The Carter Center welcomes the establishment of the Constitutional Reform Commission during the last parliament and encourages future commissioners to engage with the Guyanese people on ways to reform the election system, create an independent and less political election commission, and strengthen checks and balances in the government.
For more findings and recommendations, read the full preliminary statement here.
Background
The Carter Center is here at the invitation of the government of Guyana. It has a longstanding commitment to Guyana and has worked in the country since 1991 to strengthen democracy, support civil society, encourage sustainable development, and reinforce the rule of law. The Center is a recognized leader in the international election observation community and has conducted more than 125 election observation missions globally, including in Guyana in 1992, 2001, 2006, 2015, and 2020.
