UN Electoral Mission meets APNU reps

Feb 13, 2015 News

– told about Govt. use of state resources to campaign
As Guyana readies for general elections on May 11, the United Nations Electoral Mission yesterday met with representatives of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Hadfield

The UN Electoral Mission team during their meeting yesterday with APNU representatives.

Street, Georgetown.
The mission is headed by Richard Gee, Electoral/Political Affairs Officer in the Electoral Assistance Division, Department of Political Affairs – The United Nations; and included Lea Zoric, Elections Department of Political Affairs; and George Wachira, Policy Advisor, United Nations Development Programme – UNDP, Guyana.
APNU’s team included parliamentarians Basil Williams, Joseph Harmon, General Secretary; Amna Ally; Winston Felix, Campaign Director and Desmond Trotman.
Gee, according to APNU, outlined the main purpose of the team’s visit to Guyana. He said that it was primarily a ‘needs assessment’ mission, in support of the electoral process.
“Particular attention was being paid to the interest of political and other stakeholders and an assessment was being made of the pre-election environment. Part of the team’s mission was also to provide support for the electoral institutions like the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).”
Leader of the Opposition, Brigadier David Granger, who headed the team of APNU Members of Parliament, reportedly provided a brief historic overview of the political circumstances leading up to President Donald Ramotar naming a date for General and Regional Elections.
“The APNU team outlined several matters of concern, including the lack of access to state media; the need for more voter education; the timely declaration of election results; the inadequacy in the allocation of resources to Returning Officers and the Government’s use of state resources for the purposes of campaigning.”