Observing Guyana"s electoral process, 1990-1992 : report of the Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government

This report documents the work of one of the observer groups, the Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government, beginning with electoral reforms initiated in 10/90 and lasting until the election. The report opens with a foreword by Jimmy Carter, Council Chairman and an active leader of observer delegations. It then provides historical background on Guyanese politics, which have traditionally been dominated by ethnicism, with the two largest ethnic groups, Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese, vying for power, and smaller groups playing coalition roles. The four sections which follow detail the Council"s role in and observations of: pre-election activities; the election campaign and the parties and candidates involved; election day; and the inauguration of the new administration and the transition of power. The main opposition party, the People"s Progressive Party, won the election with 53% of votes cast. The campaign and election day were, on the whole, remarkably free of violence and appeals to race. Most significantly, the results were accepted by all parties and a peaceful transition of government took place. Guyana"s experience teaches important lessons for other ethnically divided societies in transition to democracy and for international efforts to mediate democratic political solutions in other such countries throughout the world.