The Carter Center last evening said that it has been unable to secure permission from the Government of Guyana for an observer to travel into the country on Monday to observe the recount of votes for the March 2 national elections.
In a Tweet, the Center wrote, “The Carter Center is trying to get an observer on a Monday flight to Georgetown to observe the recount but has so far been unsuccessful in getting approval from the government of Guyana”.
The Tweet did not indicate when the request was made to the government nor whether there had been any communication about provisions to comply with local measures implemented to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Currently Guyana’s borders and those of its neighbours are closed to incoming international flights except in special cases. One such case was the team of scrutineers from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which arrived on Friday. The three-member team was granted a special dispensation by the National COVID-19 Task Force following assurances from CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRoque that the members would be tested for the disease and would enter Guyana only if they were to receive a negative result.
Sunday Stabroek attempted to contact the Task Force including Chairman Moses Nagamootoo and Chief Executive Officer of the Task Force Secretariat Joseph Harmon for a response to the Center’s statement but up to press time this newspaper was unsuccessful.
The Center is one of five international observer groups which observed the March 2nd elections and had expressed grave concerns over the credibility of the tabulation for District Four by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo. It had signalled its interest in returning for the recount.
On Thursday, Soyia Ellison, Associate Director of Communications at the Carter Center, told this newspaper in an invited comment that the Center “hopes to send a team to observe the recount and is currently looking for ways to safely get a team to Georgetown, given travel restrictions and health concerns.”
The Carter Center was one of two teams to indicate an intention to return, with a source at the Organization of American States (OAS) stating that it will be at the recount.
That source explained that the OAS was in contact with GECOM as it made arrangements to facilitate its participation.
GECOM spokesperson Yolanda Ward yesterday told reporters that the OAS has said two locally-based members of its team will represent it at the recount.
Meanwhile, Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana Lilian Chatterjee expressed the hope that the Guyana Government will allow the Carter Center observer to enter the country.
In a Tweet of her own, she said “Canada funded the Carter Center Election Observer Team in Guyana. I hope Guyana will allow them to return to complete their task.”
She added that the Carter Center has earned the respect of Guyanese citizens and political parties for decades.
Canada has also funded the return of the CARICOM observer mission.
According to the Order governing the recount all Observer missions both local and international who were previously accredited for the March 2 polls are entitled to be present at the recount provided the number of persons present does not exceed 14 for eight of the workstations and 10 for the remaining two.
