Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 11/2009

Final Report to the Guyana Elections Commission on the 2006 General and Regional Elections, February 15, 2007

February 2007

The Carter Center

Abstract

With USAID funding, The Carter Center conducted a targeted observation for Guyana’s Aug. 28, 2006, national elections to demonstrate the Center’s interest in and support for Guyana’s democratization process. The Center also sought to assess the political and electoral environment in Guyana surrounding the 2006 elections in follow-up to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s 2004 visit to Guyana. The 2006 elections marked a historic event in the country as Guyana experienced its most peaceful election in recent history. The Center received invitations from the government of Guyana, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and the newly created Alliance for Change (AFC) political party to observe the election. All major political parties welcomed the Center’s observation initiative. The project included the establishment of a field office, the deployment of medium-term and short-term observers, and engagement with key election, government, and opposition party officials and with international stakeholders in Guyana. The Center’s observation efforts were coordinated with international observer delegations from the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Commonwealth.