The head of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EUOM), Robert Biedron, says the grouping will outline its views on issues such as campaign financing and the use of oil revenues as a campaign tool following the September 1 regional and general election in Guyana.
“Some remarks on the topics you said had been raised, of course, and the concerns have been raised but it’s too early for us to make any comment,” he told a news conference on Friday.
Biedron said the 50-member EUOM was very careful to abide by the rule of non-interference in domestic politics and that there there are certain regulations for campaign financing that should always meet national, regional and international standards.
“By deploying this second full-scale EU election observation mission to Guyana, we reaffirm the EU’s strong partnership with the country and our support for a transparent and credible electoral process. I would also like to thank the government of Guyana for inviting the European Union to observe these important elections.
“Elections are more than ballots they are the foundation of democracy. This is why we are here, with a strong team of observers, to assess the process with professionalism and impartiality,” he told reporters, adding “we are meeting different stakeholders and the comments will come shortly after elections with our statements”
Guyana has had a history of successive governments using to varying degrees State resources, including aircraft, government-funded radio, television and information services to campaign.
On Thursday, the state-owned Department of Public Information (DPI) and the Guyana Chronicle newspaper livestreamed the weekly news conference by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who is also the General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic(PPP/C).
The EU Chief Observer refused to say whether he was satisfied that the systems that are in place were sufficient to deliver credible elections, reiterating “we do not interfere in any in this election and making any statement at this time, at this stage would be regarded as an interference so if you will excuse me I will stay impartial.
“As international election observers, we care only about the integrity of the process, not about any particular party or candidate. Our mission is fully independent and impartial. All observers follow a strict code of conduct in line with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation. We aim to contribute to transparency, public confidence, and peaceful participation during this important electoral process.”
Biedron said independence of the observer mission was important for the Guyanese voter as well as the country’s constitutional democracy and that the September polls will be an opportunity for all stakeholders to demonstrate Guyana’s commitment to democracy through credible, transparent and inclusive elections including access to the media.
“All contesting political parties should be free to campaign and to inform voters about their programmes on a level playing field with equal- I underline equal– access to media and public spaces,” he said.
He said voters should also be able to cast their ballots in secret, free from pressure, intimidation or any other form of interference and that full transparency and accountability from all electoral stakeholders are necessary to enhance public trust in the process.
Biedron said the EUOM encourages a “transparent and timely tabulation and announcement of results”.
While the EUOM would be observing the polls across Guyana, Biedron could not say what the criteria would be to determine which of the more than 2,000 polling stations would be visited by members of his mission. (CMC)
