The Carter Center today said reforms are needed to create a more leveled playing field in Guyana’s elections and to increase voters’ trust in the electoral process.
In delivering The Carter Center’s preliminary report today, the Center’s Chairman, Jason Carter, said while Guyana remains a “vibrant democracy” and conducted its Elections in a peaceful and orderly manner, there are persistent issues that continue to undermine trust in the electoral process.
“Guyana is a vibrant democracy and yes, there are some persistent issues that have undermined trust between the parties at different times and that lack of trust is very important but Guyana is a robust democracy and the people of Guyana truly embrace their democratic values,” Carter told reporters.
Carter said with its new found oil wealth, Guyana’s economic gains are enormous, and the next National Assembly must work towards both Constitutional and Legislative reforms to strengthen and protect the country’s democracy and electoral system.
Campaign Financing is among areas that require urgent reform.
“We believe that the stakes are high not just for the people of Guyana but for democracy globally. This is an important moment, and this is an important place, and that’s why we have called for years on Guyana’s leaders, in this new government and the new parliament, whomever they may be to continue the crucial discussions around constitutional reform, to implement campaign financing reform, to ensure and it is especially important, equal access to public information about the contracts that are occurring, about the things that affect people in their daily lives and this is a crucial issue between elections. Elections are really a report card on a democracy, there are not the democracy itself, there are so much that occur between elections that would be crucially importantly. And we also call on them to continue to implement the laws that they have that surround and support the electoral process,” he said.
By doing what is right, Mr, Carter submitted that Guyana has a real opportunity to be a world leader and serve as an example of a vibrant democracy that is built on freedom and based on equal and wide access to political power.
“Guyana will soon be a rich country, and the question is, whether it will be a rich country full of poor people or whether it will be a rich country that is based on a democracy that does not leave people out of the system and use that democratic heritage to ensure that the wealth meets the needs of the people, and that the government is accountable to those same people in a real, vibrant democracy, and Guyana has what it takes to do this,” Carter said.
During the course of Guyana’s elections, The Carter Center dispatched 50 observers across Guyana’s 10 Regions.
Collectively, they visited 234 polling stations at 204 polling places in all 10 Regions.
Currently, The Carter Center is observing the tabulation process that is currently ongoing, and its observers have been present at all 17 tabulation centers.
The Carter Center has been active in Guyana since 1991, working with the country to strengthen democracy, support civil society, and encourage sustainable development and reinforce the rule of law. It has observed the 1991, 2001, 2006, 2015 and 2020 Elections. (Svetlana Marshall)
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