Guyanese express low confidence in electoral system

Apr 19, 2022 News

– as US Opinion poll highlights need for reform

Kaieteur News – In January 2022, the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) designed and commissioned a national public opinion poll through its ‘Strengthening Democracy Through Polling Data and Peace Building’ programme.
The poll was conducted by CID Gallup throughout all regions of Guyana and is the first IRI public opinion poll to ask for opinions and perceptions of Guyanese on governance issues.
According to IRI, the findings indicate high interest in electoral reforms; 81 percent feel that such reforms are necessary. The majority of adults in Guyana (58 percent) think they are “very” necessary.
According a statement from the IRI, a wide range of actors across government; civil society organisations, Indigenous community organisations, trade unions, and the private sector were consulted in developing content for the poll.
The data was collected between January 4, 2022 and January 24, 2022, through CAPI administered face-to-face interviews in respondents’ homes. The sample consisted of 1,500 Guyanese adults aged 18 and older.
For the survey, the IRI said a multi-stage probability sampling method was used to design a nationally representative sample. The achieved sample was weighed for ethnicity, gender, age, and region according to figures from the 2012 census. The response rate was 20 percent. The margin of error for the mid-range full sample does not exceed 2.5 points. Charts and graphs may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.
IRI’s work in Guyana aims to help ensure reforms are based on the participation of Guyanese, who design their own solutions while benefiting from regional expertise and best practices. IRI offers support and tools to national stakeholders to advance Guyana’s development goals through strengthening democratic institutions and electoral reform processes.
The survey was funded by the National Endowment for Democracy.
Last April, the US Embassy in Georgetown issued a statement in which it said that the US Department of State was supporting an 18-month project to strengthen the capacity of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the Attorney General’s Chambers regarding electoral processes, and to encourage Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to advocate for electoral reform in line with regional and international standards. The project, the US Embassy said, would have been implemented by the IRI.
Under the project, GECOM, the Attorney General’s Chambers and Guyanese CSOs worked collaboratively to consolidate and improve local electoral and constitutional law knowledge, establish an internal timeline to address electoral reform, improve collaboration for joint advocacy actions, and prioritise electoral and constitutional law issues while promoting reform through citizen engagement.
The statement added that the project was part of ongoing support by the United States Government to strengthen the capacity of Guyana’s governance for the benefit of all Guyanese.
However, a firestorm of criticisms has since erupted over the project, much of it associated with the contractor, IRI and its antecedents and associations in the Donald Trump-led US administration and the lack of consultation with the opposition and civil society.
Some critics believed that official word of the project should not have come first from the US Embassy but it should have come directly from the Guyana Government as it had been hinted at by U.S. Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch in a meeting on February 8, 2021 with Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd.

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