VZCZCXYZ0025
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHGE #0071/01 0201350
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 201350Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3025
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0207
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0081
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 2110
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL

C O N F I D E N T I A L GEORGETOWN 000071 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2016 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM GY
SUBJECT: GECOM MAKES ENCOURAGING PROGRESS: ELECTION PREVIEW 
#3 
 
REF: A. 05 GEORGETOWN 1350 
 
     ¶B. 05 GEORGETOWN 1271 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Roland W. Bullen for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY.  Preparations for Guyana's 2006 elections are 
gathering steam.  The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has 
addressed donor concerns in a number of areas.  This cable 
reviews the latest status of various preparation activities 
-- observers, voter registration, media code of conduct, 
voters list database, ID card production.  An update to the 
contentious issue of verifying the 2001 voter list, and its 
broader, ominous implications for the election, will be 
reported septel.  END SUMMARY 
 
Encouraging News on Long-term Observers 
--------------------------------------- 
¶2. (U) Canada will provide funding for one long-term observer 
who will work under the auspices of the Commonwealth 
Secretariat.  This individual will likely be the first 
 
SIPDIS 
long-term presence on the ground for the 2006 election and 
should arrive in time to monitor the continuous election 
process before its scheduled completion on March 19. 
 
¶3. (C) Ambassador spoke with Head of Presidential Secretariat 
Roger Luncheon on Monday January 16 regarding OAS long-term 
observers.  Luncheon mentioned that he had written to OAS SYG 
Insulza on September 15, and thought that this letter was 
non-specific enough to cover long-term observers.  The 
impression Luncheon got from Insulza's December 2 response 
was that OAS did not consider Guyana a priority and was 
essentially brushing off the observer invitation.  Ambassador 
informed Luncheon that we understand OAS needs a specific 
request and provided points from WHA/OAS that should go into 
a letter.  Luncheon responded: "consider it done". 
 
¶4. (C) The GoG and GECOM Chairman both strongly favor 
long-term observers, knowing that it will provide credibility 
to what promises to be a highly contentious election process. 
 Post believes that the combination of the second invitation 
letter and OAS A/SYG Ramdin's visit to Guyana beginning 
February 14 will help convince OAS of the importance in 
sending its own long-term mission. 
 
Voter Registration Appears on Track 
----------------------------------- 
¶5. (U) GECOM's most recent figures indicate that 
approximately 28,000 new voters have registered since 
continuous registration started in October.  GECOM expects a 
total of 38,000 new registrants by the end of the process on 
March 19.  The only area of concern is Region 4, where uptake 
has been slower.  (Note.  Region 4 is home to Georgetown, a 
traditional stronghold of the opposition PNC/R which is not 
encouraging its supporters to register.  End Note.)  GECOM is 
also almost current on at-home verification of new 
registrants' residences.  The media campaign to encourage 
voter registration has picked up in recent days. 
 
¶6. (U) The Ministers of Home Affairs and Amerindian Affairs 
have cooperated to institute a procedure for conducting late 
registration of births for those who do not have a birth 
certificate.  This had been a concern in December as reports 
came in of Guyanese citizens, primarily Amerindians in the 
interior, lacking the documentation required to register to 
vote (Ref A).  The Ministry of Home Affairs has employed 
Community Development Officers with Amerindian Affairs 
stationed in those remote areas to undertake late birth 
registrations. 
 
Leading Media Practitioners Sign Code of Conduct 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
¶7. (U) All of Guyana's leading media organizations signed a 
Code of Conduct that kicked off on January 7.  Among other 
things, the code spells out the media's responsibility to 
provide equitable share of election coverage to all 
registered parties, to engage in fair and balanced reporting, 
and to refrain from publishing or broadcasting material that 
might incite racial hatred.  Although the media signed a 
similar code of conduct before the 2001 elections that had 
little effect in deterring irresponsible reporting, the 
current process has already succeeded in some respects.  For 
instance, it brought together disparate media practitioners 
(the government news agency, independent newspapers, 
politically controlled TV stations, etc.) for frank 
discussions of the media's role during elections.  The next 
step is to establish an Independent Refereeing Panel, to be 
 
composed of prominent Caribbean media figures, which will 
review complaints about coverage during the elections 
campaign.  As in the past, however, this panel will lack true 
power to sanction those who violate the code. 
 
Election Mechanics 
------------------ 
¶8. (U) GECOM finally managed to turn on the server that 
contains the 2001 voters list (the starting point for the 
2006 list).  The server had failed to operate when GECOM 
initially tried to access it in late 2005, news of which was 
used by opposition parties to denigrate GECOM's image.  GECOM 
has hired dozens of personnel to begin data entry of new 
voter registration information within two weeks. 
 
¶9. (U) The De La Rue ID card production equipment has not yet 
arrived.  GECOM does not expect ID card production to be 
ready until the end of February at the earliest.  Although 
behind schedule, this still leaves ample time to produce and 
distribute an expected 50,000 to 70,000 cards (for new 
registrants and replacements for lost cards) in advance of a 
July poll date. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶10. (C) GECOM's encouraging progress in a number of areas 
should not give the impression that Guyana is on track for a 
smooth election season.  Quite the contrary, there are 
growing signs of serious trouble on the horizon (to be 
reported septel).  The center of controversy is how GECOM 
will verify that the 2001 voters list -- which will serve as 
the basis for the 2006 list -- is "clean" of unqualified 
voters.  The main opposition party PNC/R is determined to 
reject any process short of going house to house to verify 
each and every one of the 440,185 registered voters on the 
2001 list.  What exactly would be "verified" is in question. 
In addition, opposition parties are stating both publicly and 
privately that GECOM cannot possibly be ready to hold 
elections by the constitutionally due date of August 4. 
These statements are disingenuous at best, considering the 
three elections since 1992, all of which were declared 
acceptable by international observers, have all been 
conducted in only two to three months.  It is becoming 
increasingly evident that the PPP is the only major party 
interested in holding elections as constitutionally due by 
August 4.  Other parties, secure in the knowledge that they 
cannot win a free election, prefer not to have an election. 
BULLEN