The Carter Centre is urging political parties to commit to quickly take up Constitutional Reform in the post-election period, with a view of completing the process in a time-bound period “well before” the next General elections.
The Centre noted that over the course of the Carter Centre’s engagement in Guyana it has taken note of repeated commitments by political parties in their manifestos to enact Constitutional Reform, as well as urgent calls from civil society for the same. The Centre has also encouraged reform of the “winner-take-all” election system currently in use.
“The Centre strongly encourages political leaders, parties, and civil society to debate issues around Constitutional Reform and more inclusive governance during the campaign. In addition, the Centre urges the parties to commit to quickly taking up this critical issue in the post-election period, and to completing Constitutional Reform in a time-bound period well before the next General elections,” it said via a statement to the media earlier today.
Further, the Centre noted that in the years since the first discovery of oil in the Stabroek block in 2015, more oil has been discovered in Guyana’s offshore waters than anywhere else in the world. The Carter Center said that it has seen the negative influence of extractive industries in many countries with social and ethnic cleavages, and believes that these negative effects can be mitigated if democratic institutions are strong and inclusive.
The Centre said that it hopes that Guyana can set a global example of inclusive democratic governance, renewed commitments to fighting corruption, and efforts to ensure that all citizens benefit from what promises to be a bright future.
The Carter Centre first became involved in Guyana in the early 1990s at the invitation of President Desmond Hoyte and since then has been dedicated to the advancement of democracy in the country. These elections will be the fifth that The Carter Centre has observed in Guyana since 1992.
Following a letter of invitation from the Government of Guyana, the Centre formally launched its international electoral observation mission here in early January of this year.
