GUYANA-EU observers outline scope for their observance of Guyana’s elections

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The head of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EUOM), Robert Biedron, says the grouping will outline its views on issues such as campaign financing and the use of oil revenues as a campaign tool following the September 1 regional and general election.

“Some remarks on the topics you said had been raised, of course, and the concerns have been raised, but it’s too early for us to make any comment,” he told a news conference on Friday.

Biedron said the 50-member EUOM was very careful to abide by the rule of non-interference in domestic politics and that specific regulations for campaign financing should always meet national, regional, and international standards.

“By deploying this second full-scale EU election observation mission to Guyana, we reaffirm the EU’s strong partnership with the country and our support for a transparent and credible electoral process. I would also like to thank the government of Guyana for inviting the European Union to observe these crucial elections.

“Elections are more than ballots; they are the foundation of democracy. This is why we are here, with a strong team of observers, to assess the process with professionalism and impartiality,” he told reporters, adding, “We are meeting different stakeholders and the comments will come shortly after elections with our statements.”

Guyana has had a history of successive governments using, to varying degrees, State resources, including aircraft, government-funded radio, television, and information services to campaign.

On Thursday, the state-owned Department of Public Information (DPI) and the Guyana Chronicle newspaper livestreamed the weekly news conference by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who is also the General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic(PPP/C).

The EU Chief Observer refused to say whether he was satisfied that the systems that are in place were sufficient to deliver credible elections, reiterating “we do not interfere in any way in this election and making any statement at this time, at this stage would be regarded as an interference so if you will excuse me I will stay impartial.

“As international election observers, we care only about the integrity of the process, not about any particular party or candidate. Our mission is fully independent and impartial. All observers follow a strict code of conduct in line with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation. We aim to contribute to transparency, public confidence, and peaceful participation during this important electoral process.”

Biedron said independence of the observer mission was necessary for the Guyanese voter as well as the country’s constitutional democracy, and that the September polls will be an opportunity for all stakeholders to demonstrate Guyana’s commitment to democracy through credible, transparent, and inclusive elections, including access to the media.

“All contesting political parties should be free to campaign and to inform voters about their programs on a level playing field with equal- I underline equal– access to media and public spaces,” he said.

He said voters should also be able to cast their ballots in secret, free from pressure, intimidation, or any other form of interference. Complete transparency and accountability from all electoral stakeholders are necessary to enhance public trust in the process.

Biedron said the EUOM encourages a “transparent and timely tabulation and announcement of results”.

While the EUOM would be observing the polls across Guyana, Biedron could not say what the criteria would be to determine which of the more than 2,000 polling stations would be visited by members of his mission.

“The plan is to deploy our observers in every region, trying to reach communities, voters to observe wherever they vote in Guyana,” he said, noting that on the election day, the mission would observe the opening of polling stations, counting of votes, tabulation of results, and handling of any complaints or appeals.

The EUOM is scheduled to publish a preliminary statement of preliminary findings on September 3 ahead of a full report, including recommendations, expected to be published by December 2025.

The EU electoral observer official told reporters that the mission would not only focus on election day but on the “entire electoral process,” including pre-election environment, campaign, tabulation of results, and the resolution of any election-related complaint.

“Our role is to observe the entire electoral process and assess whether it complies with the laws of Guyana as well as the country’s international and regional commitment to democratic elections,” said Biedron.

The member of the European parliament said an eight-member team of electoral experts had arrived in Guyana on July 23 to cover areas such as electoral, legal, political, media, and social media analysis.

He said they would be joined by a whole team of long-term observers across all 10 of Guyana’s administrative regions to watch electoral preparations, campaigning, and the broader political environment and report back to the “core team” in Georgetown.

“Their observations will contribute to the mission’s impartial and informed assessment of the electoral process,” he said, adding that ahead of the elections, the mission will be joined by an additional 20 short-term observers to observe voting and the tabulation of results.

The results of the March 2020 general and regional elections were not known until August, after a total vote recount due to inaccurate tabulation of results from spreadsheets instead of the statements of poll in favour of the then incumbent A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC).

Apart from the PPP/C and the APNU, three other parties, namely the AFC, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), and the Forward Guyana Movement and Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity coalition, will be vying for the presidency as well as control of the 65-seat National Assembly and the 10 regional councils.

The EUOM will be one of the international observers for the polls, alongside the US-based Carter Center, the Organization of American States, and the Commonwealth, which is expected to send its representatives to observe the polls.