GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC):
THE INTERNATIONAL community says the general election in Guyana can be held by the constitutional deadline of August 4.
The assurance comes amid accusations by both the government and opposition of interference with the work of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the possibility of a constitutional crisis if the polls are not held on time.
But in a joint statement issued by Canada, the United States, Britain and the European Union, the international community said it was satisfied that the elections could be held as scheduled.
"The international signatories are satisfied that the GECOM Secretariat has the technical capability and capacity, and has received in a timely manner all the technical and financial support needed from the Government of Guyana and the international community to deliver free and fair elections within the constitutional time frame," the statement said.
TIMELY RESPONSES
The grouping is a signatory to the memorandum of understanding (MoU), which encourages electoral candidates to work with GECOM to find timely responses to the political challenges of holding free and fair elections in Guyana.
"The support provided by the international signatories to the election process in Guyana is guided, inter alia, by the Inter-American Democratic Charter adopted by all OAS (Organisation of American States) members in September 2001.
In the MoU, GECOM committed to ensuring that all necessary steps are taken to adhere to the requirements of the constitution in its preparations for elections," the statement said.
An internal GECOM memo leaked to the local media last week had indicated that the elections could have been postponed to September 25.
Both the government and the opposition accused each other of interfering with the work of the GECOM.
