As Guyana prepares for the 2023 Local Government Elections (LGE), the opposition has called for urgent electoral reforms to address ongoing challenges with the country’s electoral integrity.
In a statement today, it urged the government to implement the recommendations made by the European Union’s (EU) 2020 election observer mission (EOM) follow-up team, which is currently in the country to assess progress made on electoral reforms.
According to the opposition, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has failed to deliver credible elections and eroded public confidence in the electoral process. “Preparations for the 2023 LGE have amply demonstrated that the electoral process is still prone to political manipulation, corruption, and fraud. They have further exposed an elections commission that has been politically hijacked, is poorly chaired, is administratively unfit, and is unaccountable to the people,” the opposition claimed.
Nevertheless, it was keen to note it welcomes the follow-up team’s presence in Guyana and is in full support of the 26 recommendations made in the final report of the 2020 EOM. It sought to place particular focus on some of the recommendations included in the report. These recommendations include the mandatory publication of all GECOM decisions, regulatory instruments, and instructions, the prohibition of the use of state resources for political campaigning, and the establishment of a comprehensive election dispute resolution system to ensure effective and timely remedies throughout all stages of the electoral process.
The opposition has also highlighted the need for a clean voter list and the use of biometrics for voting, expressing scepticism that the current photo identification and verification process can reduce the risk of fraud inherent in a bloated voters list.
It is calling for the government to take these concerns and recommendations seriously and work with all stakeholders to make the necessary reforms.
Guyana Standard understands that the EU follow-up mission provides an opportunity for the opposition to engage with the government and other stakeholders on electoral reforms. As such, the opposition noted that it is committed to advancing the agenda on electoral reforms and it looks forward to working with the EU follow-up team and other stakeholders to make it a reality.
