The Carter Center has officially launched an international election observation mission in Guyana ahead of the country’s general and regional elections scheduled for September 1. The mission comes at the invitation of Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
A core team of four electoral experts began arriving in Georgetown on June 30 from the United States, the state of Georgia, and the United Kingdom. They will be joined by additional electoral experts and observers in the weeks leading up to election day.
“We look forward to engaging with Guyanese stakeholders across the political spectrum and civil society to provide an independent and impartial assessment of the electoral process,” said Jason Calder, Field Office Director for The Carter Center. “We hope our observation and reporting will help the Guyanese people assess the credibility of the elections, while providing useful recommendations for reform and encouraging transparency.”
The Carter Center will conduct its work based on the 2005 Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, measuring the electoral process against national legal frameworks as well as international and regional obligations for democratic elections.
“The Carter Center has had a long-standing commitment to democracy in Guyana, and we are honored to launch this international election observation mission in support of the electoral process,” said David Carroll, director of the Center’s Democracy Program.
The organization has a deep history in Guyana, having observed elections there in 1992, 2001, 2006, 2015, and 2020. Beyond election monitoring, The Carter Center has supported a wide range of governance, legal, and civil society initiatives in the country. These include facilitating judicial reform, supporting women and youth empowerment, promoting peace and political dialogue, and advancing transparency in the extractive industries through partnerships with government, industry, and civil society.
Globally, The Carter Center has organized over 125 election observation missions in more than 100 countries. Its efforts in Guyana continue to form part of a broader commitment to strengthening democratic institutions and promoting inclusive development.
