14 EU election observers are here

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday deployed long-term observers of its Election Observation Mission across the ten administrative regions of Guyana.

The team of 14 observers is responsible for observing the electoral preparations and the campaign.

During a short engagement with the media at the mission’s High Street, Kingston, Georgetown office, Deputy Chief Observer Alexander Matuś noted that the team will also be visiting polling places ahead of the March 02 elections.

“In the last three days, they receive extensive training about the electoral, political, legal, media, security and logistics aspect of their work in the field,” he noted.

Matuś said the observers will be on the ground for six weeks and will be joined by a core team of analysts based in Georgetown and 20 short term observers shortly before elections day.

Asked what the observers will be looking for during their mission, he noted that the teams will be required to make regular reporting to the EU in Georgetown which will then be able to provide a fair assessment of the 2020 elections.

Matuś clarified that the team does not report to GECOM but rather to its observer team. Questioned on what determines free and credible elections, he referred the media to the Mission’s Chief Observer who will hold a press conference on February 06.

President of Guyana, David Granger invited several International Elections Observer Missions including the Carter Center, the Organisation of American States and the Commonwealth Secretariat, CARICOM and former Chief Elections Officer from other countries.

The missions will present final reports, including recommendations for future electoral processes.

The foreign observers were approved by the Government after which the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was tasked with accrediting local observers.

Some local groups which have expressed an interest are: the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).