The Carter Center has launched an international election observation mission to Guyana in advance of the country’s general and regional elections scheduled for Sept. 1.
The center was invited to observe this year’s elections by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, a release said. A four-person core team of experts will begin arriving in Georgetown on June 30 from the United States, Georgia, and the United Kingdom. Additional electoral experts and observers will join them closer to election day.
“We look forward to engaging with Guyanese stakeholders across the political spectrum and civil society to provide an independent and impartial assessment of the electoral process. We hope our observation and reporting will help the Guyanese people assess the credibility of the elections, while providing useful recommendations for reform and encouraging transparency,” said Carter Center Field Office Director Jason Calder.
“The Carter Center has had a long-standing commitment to democracy in Guyana, and we are honored to launch this international election observation mission in support of the electoral process,” said David Carroll, director of the Carter Center’s Democracy Programme.
The Carter Center’s election observation work is conducted in accordance with the 2005 Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and makes assessments based on relevant parts of national legal frameworks, as well as regional and international obligations for democratic elections. Since 1992, the Center has worked in Guyana to strengthen democracy, support civil society, encourage sustainable development, and reinforce the rule of law.
The Carter Center has organised more than 125 election observation missions in 100 countries, including in Guyana in 1992, 2001, 2006, 2015, and 2020. In addition to work on elections, the Center has conducted a range of activities in Guyana, including helping Guyanese articulate a comprehensive vision and development strategy; supporting civil society groups working to advance the status of women, youth, and Amerindians; assisting judicial system reform programmes in partnership with the High Court, the chief justice, the Guyana Bar Association, and the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers; facilitating conflict resolution efforts in support of peace and political dialogue; and supporting government, industry, and civil society stakeholders to comply with the requirements of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
