Guyana Chronicle
May 27, 2001
THE International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) says great strides have been made in Guyana's electoral system but much remains to be done to consolidate a reliable electoral system in which the public enjoys sustained confidence.
The U.S.-based organisation was among observer missions at the March 19 elections, which it noted were won by the People's Progressive Party/Civic with 52.89 per cent of the votes, giving them 34 seats in Parliament.
In a report on the elections, IFES said it is committed to continued technical support to ensure the sustainability of the GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission), a permanent entity since May 2000.
"IFES will provide assistance in electoral reform, administration and personnel, information technology and media relations."
It said GECOM chairman, Major General (Rtd), Joe Singh has earned the trust of Guyana's voters, the political parties and the international community and would be well-prepared to lead GECOM in continuing its institutional development as an independent, nonpartisan institution.
Here's the report:
THE March 19, 2001 General and Regional Elections resulted in 52.89 per cent of the vote for the PPP/Civic, entitling them to 34 seats in Parliament, while the PNC/Reform received 41.88 per cent of the vote for 27 seats.
Several other parties also received parliamentary representation, including two seats for the WPA/GAP, one seat for ROAR and one for TUF. These elections marked the first election in Guyana in which citizens could choose candidates for Parliament from regional lists as well as national, "top-up" lists.
These reforms are a direct result of the proposals of the constitutional reform committees recommended by the Herdmanston Accord to increase geographic and gender representation in Parliament.
As PPP/Civic's victory became clear, dissatisfied citizens gathered for rallies in some parts of the country to protest the results, high unemployment rates and alleged government ethnic discrimination. Some of these gatherings turned violent and the unrest has continued to this day.
The newly elected President Bharrat Jagdeo and the Leader of the Opposition, Desmond Hoyte have met several times to discuss ways in which the two major political parties can work together under the new administration.
IFES ASSISTANCE
SINCE September 2000, the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) has provided overall technical electoral guidance to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the Secretariat through a Chief Technical Advisor. The Chief Technical Advisor worked closely with GECOM Chairman and secretariat staff such as in drafting a comprehensive electoral calendar and supervising the procurement of Secretariat office equipment and equipment required for election day.
He helped keep the international assistance community informed of GECOM's adherence to international standards and the electoral calendar as well as coordinating the other advisors provided by IFES.
IFES worked closely with GECOM's information systems staff to transfer the existing voter registry to a new server for improved accuracy and security. The advisor also worked during the claims and objections period to test the system and identify deficiencies in the registration system.
In addition, IFES developed programs to computerise the vote tabulation and maintain an archive of the Statements of Poll.
The IFES media relations advisor together with GECOM Public Relations/Media Consultant established a media centre to inform the public of improvements to the electoral process GECOM implemented and issue public updates on election day.
IFES Logistics Advisor assisted the Operations Department to plan efficient distribution of electoral materials to all regions, especially the logistically complex areas of Georgetown. The advisor developed reporting forms for all levels of election day staff to track the distribution and collection of materials as well as maintain a record of the tabulation of election results.
ELECTION FIRSTS IN GUYANA
IFES Chief Technical Advisor worked closely with the election authority to draft and continually update a comprehensive electoral calendar, which was adhered to, of steps needed leading up to the elections. In addition, in an extraordinary attempt to maintain consensus and increase transparency of the electoral process, GECOM chairman released CD-ROMS of the voters list to the political parties.
The political parties were able to review the provisional preliminary list, the preliminary list, the revised list and the final list or Official List of Electors (OLE) in order to correct any inaccuracies in the list and avoid disenfranchising citizens.
GECOM developed a detailed election results transmission plan in which presiding officers, deputy returning officers and returning officers would report the progress of election day and the vote count.
Difficulties with the telephone system infrastructure and insufficient time to test the plan, however, contributed to the delay in announcing election results until early morning, March 23.
FUTURE ACTIVITIES
Great strides have been made in Guyana's electoral system, but much remains to be done to consolidate a reliable electoral system in which the public enjoys sustained confidence. IFES is committed to continued technical support to ensure the sustainability of GECOM, a permanent entity since May 2000.
IFES will provide assistance in electoral reform, administration and personnel, information technology and media relations.
GECOM Chairman, Major General (Rtd), Joe Singh has earned the trust of Guyana's voters, the political parties and the international community and would be well-prepared to lead GECOM in continuing its institutional development as an independent, nonpartisan institution.