GECOM make-up is not all inclusive – U.N. Committee

Apr 02, 2024 News

The Guyana Elections Commission Headquarters in Kingston

Kaieteur News – The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee in its concluding observations on the third periodic report of Guyana has noted its concerns with regards to the structural make-up of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

In its report published last month, the UN committee noted that while it welcomes efforts made to amend the electoral laws to advance a smoother elections process in Guyana, the structural make-up of the country’s electoral machinery —GECOM— still lacks inclusivity.

The Committee said it is concerned about the partisan structure of the GECOM, excluding members from other parties and indigenous peoples, and therefore, it in its view impeding it from effectively and independently implementing its mandate.

While it notes the improvements in the electoral process, the Committee outlined in its report that it remains “concerned that the electoral system is exacerbating the existing dual ethno-political polarization and contributing to the political marginalization of other ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples.”

Further in the report, the committee said it is also concerned that persons with disabilities are not adequately included, supported, and trained to exercise their right to vote. The committee also pointed out that prisoners and pretrial detainees continue to be deprived of their voting rights in practice.

As a result, the UN recommended that “the State reviews and revises the electoral system to guarantee full compliance with its Covenant, particularly Article 25 thereof, and in the light of the guidelines for States on the effective implementation of the right to participate in public affairs, to ensure equal enjoyment of the right to participate for all citizens, irrespective of ethnicity, and eliminate any unclear or vague provisions in the electoral regulations that may impede the system’s transparent and fair operation.”

Additionally, the UN Human Rights committee recommended that the State takes all the measures necessary to ensure that GECOM is impartial and independent of political parties and is able to exercise its role as a guardian of democratic pluralism.

“Ensure that voting rights are made accessible to all citizens, including persons with disabilities and persons deprived of their liberty,” the UN committee said in the report.

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detainees, GECOM, human rights, not inclusive, UN

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