The Carter Center is urging that “serious attention” be given to the recommendations in its report on the last elections.

Jason Forrester, Director of the Carter Center’s field office in Guyana commended the way the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) administered the elections in an efficient and effective manner. However, at the same time, he urged that serious attention be given to the recommendations in order to boost stakeholder confidence in the commission. The Carter Center report has recommended, among other things, that GECOM be reformed to ensure its independence and boost its credibility. It has also suggested changing the Carter-Price formula for the composition of GECOM to avoid division along political lines. Like other international observers, the Center commended the manner in which the elections were administered by describing them as positive.

Forrester was speaking on Tuesday during the handing over of the Carter Center’s Election Observation Final Report. According to a statement from the commission, Forrester also noted that the center agreed with the recommendation of the other international observers that GECOM should embark on the conduct of a full house-to-house registration exercise before the upcoming local government elections. The Center has said that the poll, due since 1997, should be held as soon as possible granted that sufficient and thorough preparations are completed.

Forrester assured the Center’s continued interest and support for Guyana’s democratisation process.

For his part, GECOM Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally assured that the experiences of the last polls will be put to good use as it continues to carry out its mandate. He also expressed hope for the continued support of the Center while acknowledging that its observation team carried out its functions with honesty, integrity, non-partisanship and commitment.

Dr Surujbally also acknowledged the Center’s early interest in GECOM’s thrust to solidify and promote the democratic electoral process which resulted in the establishment of the field office, which Forrester managed. He noted that later, the Center’s commitment to Guyana was made more evident by the delegation of a three-member medium-term observer group which arrived in Guyana on August 7, last year.