European Union Election Observation Mission Guyana - General and Regional Elections 2020

29.01.2020

The European Union has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Guyana on 25 January to observe the general and regional elections on 2 March

The European Union Election Observation Mission is led by Chief Observer, Urmas Paet, a Member of the European Parliament from Estonia. In total, the mission will comprise around 50 observers from 19 EU Member States and Norway.

A core team of nine analysts arrived in Georgetown on 25 January. The core team assesses all aspects and stages of the electoral process, including political, electoral and legal issues, and is supported by logistical and security experts.

Fourteen long-term observers were deployed across Guyana on 4 February to cover all 10 regions. They observe the electoral process in their areas and report back to the core team in Georgetown.

Twenty short-term observers join the mission shortly before election day. On election day, the mission is also joined by locally recruited short- term observers from EU member states diplomatic missions accredited to Guyana. They observe voting, counting and the tabulation of results.

What is the mandate of the EU EOM?

The EU has deployed an Election Observationthe elections following an invitation by the President of Guyana.

The mission’s mandate is to observe all aspects of the electoral process and assess the extent to which the elections comply with international and regional commitments for elections, as well as with the laws of Guyana.

The EOM is independent from the EU Delegation to Guyana, EU member states, and all EU institutions.