(Commonwealth)__The Commonwealth is deploying an 11-member Observer Group to monitor Guyana‘s forthcoming elections, a hallmark of its long history of promoting democratic practice among members. They were invited by the Commonwealth Secretary-General upon the request of the Guyana Elections Commission. They were invited to monitor the whole electoral process, from campaigning right through to the final results announcement.
The Commonwealth Observer Group is being headed by former Tonga Foreign Affairs Minister Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu. The chairman said during a press briefing that the mission was established on the Commonwealth electoral democracy values of inclusivity and transparency. This year’s mission, he said, was notable because it coincided with the 45th anniversary of election observation by the Commonwealth, an exercise that has been at the heart of building governance and trust in members’ democratic institutions.
Their task is to establish whether elections are being held in accordance with Guyana’s constitutional and legal tradition and the regional and international commitments to which Guyana has subscribed as a signatory. They carry out their task on the basis of neutrality, impartiality, independence, and objectivity. In adhering to such standards, the team is in a position to make its judgement and subsequent recommendation authoritative and credible both nationally in Guyana and internationally.
During the pre-election, the Observer Group conducted a series of consultations with Georgetown and Guyana’s main stakeholders. They include political parties, police, the Guyana Elections Commission, media, citizen observer groups, etc. These consultations are absolutely essential for understanding the overall mood of the electoral environment, assessing institutional readiness, and addressing the concerns of various sections of society. During the meetings, the team will observe how alone the process is, how fairly the processes of the campaign are carried out, and how independent electors are to cast their democratic votes without any disturbance.
From 30th August, small teams of Commonwealth Observer Group observers will deploy throughout Guyana districts. Their role during the duration will be to monitor the integrity of the electoral process, i.e., opening of polling stations, access of voters, and overall behaviour of the election officials. Observer groups will monitor all that happens from start to finish on election day, from the opening of the votes, voting, closing the polls, and counting the votes to managing the results. All practice will be to the credit of the Observer Group for having a true record of the process’s strengths and weaknesses.
At the end of polls on September 3, the Observer Group will release an interim report of their initial observation. The first report will provide stakeholders and the general public with an early overview of how the elections were conducted. The mission will be in Guyana until September 7th and, in that time, utilise it to make observations and prepare their final report. The final report will be submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary-General and subsequently to the national and international stakeholders. The team’s final report will also include observations of the electoral process conducted by the team and recommendations on how future elections in Guyana can be further streamlined.
The Observer Group mandate is but a part of the larger mandate that has been bestowed upon the Commonwealth to extend democratic governance to all its member states. Commonwealth observer missions have been the norm and usual practice in the last 45 years of ascertaining electoral legitimacy. Their impartial perspective and pragmatic advice have assisted in mentoring impartial electoral commissions, achieving legitimacy in democratic processes, and ushering in peace and stability in highly politicised environments.
In Guyana, the presence of the international observers is not so much to reiterate the call for transparency but to signal the readiness of the Commonwealth to help the country ensure democratic standards. The monitoring by the Observer Group will definitely be intense eye-to-eye watching of the electoral process and, more significantly, a model in the shaping of the country’s future democratic institutions.
As Guyana required an election, Observer Group missioning is proof of the highest priority placed on good-faith, credible and participatory elections. It is also a challenge to the Commonwealth to ensure that Guyanese citizens, and overall its contribution in keeping its democracy, peace, and confidence in its multilateral family of nations, are upheld.
