Carter Center still open to observe Guyana’s 2006 Elections
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
GEORGETOWN, Guyana: The Carter Center in
Atlanta, Georgia is still open to observing the upcoming General Elections in
Guyana, but this is dependent on the role other international observer groups
will play.
This is according to former US President
Jimmy Carter and head of the Carter Center. President Carter was in Guyana
from August 11-13 at the invitation of President Bharrat Jagdeo to assess the
future role of the Carter Center in Guyana .
This, Mr. Carter has said, is dependent on
the willingness of political leaders to work together on key agreements for
development of the nation.
President Jagdeo has also requested the
Carter Center’s involvement in the 2006 Elections.
When the question of the Center’s
involvement in the 2006 elections was put, Mr. Carter replied that should no
other organisation be present, then the Carter Center will return.
“I really don't see the need for us to come
back in 2006 for the elections because we have so many calls to do elections.
We could only do about five a year. That is all the capacity the Carter Center
has and if the Commonwealth or the European Union (EU) or the Organisation of
the American States (OAS) or the United Nations (UN) are willing to send in
international observers here, that I think, it will be adequate. I see no
reason for us to come back. But if there is a vacuum here and no one would
come back and I thought the elections process was in danger, I certainly would
consider it and I think that's unlikely this time,” he said.
The Carter Center is involved in 64 other
countries, with experience in observing elections in 50 of them. At present
Mr. Carter is in Venezuela on a similar mission.
He has expressed confidence in the electoral
process and said that he does not foresee any major problems.
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