OAS Electoral Observation Mission pays preliminary visit to Guyana

Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 April 2015, 17:49 by GxMedia

The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (EOM/OAS), headed by the former Foreign Minister of Belize Lisa Shoman, arrived Wednesday in Guyana to learn about the preparations for the May 11 general and regional elections, the OAS said in a statement.

During her visit to Guyana, the Chief of Mission will sign the Electoral Observation Process Agreement with the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Steve Surujbally. This agreement establishes the conditions under which the electoral observation will be carried out. Ambassador Shoman will also hold meetings with the presidential candidates, civil society representatives and representatives of the international community in Guyana.

Ambassador Shoman, designated for the position by the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, has been a member of the Senate of Belize since 2009. In 2007 she was appointed Foreign Minister of her country and had previously served concurrently as Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative of Belize to the OAS.

In May, the OAS will deploy a team of experts and observers to witness the elections and to analyze specific aspects of the electoral process such as electoral organization, campaign financing and the political participation of men and women.