GUYANA ELECTION STATUS REPORT AUGUST 28,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GEORGETOWN 000854 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM GY SUBJECT: GUYANA ELECTION STATUS REPORT AUGUST 28, 15:30 HOURS REF: GEORGETOWN 850 ¶1. (U) As of 15:30, election day is proceeding as smoothly as could be expected. We have spoken with all 17 OAS observer teams that include U.S. Mission personnel. Eight of these teams are around Georgetown, the others are dispersed throughout the country. Altogether, these teams have observed at least 10 percent of the approximately 2,000 polling stations. The teams report: -- No major problems. All Polling Agents and local observers present at the polling stations since before dawn are telling us that the process is running fine and there are no major problems. -- All sites opened on time at 6:00 or by 6:10. -- Good turn-out at the opening with some lines, but not unreasonably long or disorderly. Turn-out has slowed down since then as expected. At most stations we have canvassed, we hear that about 40 to 65 percent of registered voters had cast ballots by the early afternoon. Poll wokers expect another rush in the afternoon after the midday lull. -- At the larger sites (i.e., schools) with 8 or more polling stations, some voters are confused as to which specific polling station they need to go to. With patience, this issue has ironed itself out. -- Polling Agents from the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and the People's National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) are present at most stations. The Alliance For Change (AFC) Polling Agents are not quite as widespread; the other three parties contesting national elections have only token Polling Agent presence. (Note: Polling Agents are party representatives who can observe the process in the polling station and keep track of who has voted). The presence of domestic observers varies by location. -- It is relatively quiet in Georgetown and on the roads, reminiscent of a Sunday morning. Departing from precedent and making Election Day a public holiday has made for a very different atmosphere. Most of shops in Georgetown's central business district are shuttered. ¶2. (SBU) The biggest glitch so far: -- The AFC and Justice For All Party (probably the third and fourth largest vote-winners, respectively) have complained that their Polling Agents have not been admitted to certain polling stations because they lack the proper letter of appointment. AFC Prime Ministerial candidate Khemraj Ramjattan called the DCM to raise the issue. Two of our observers in rural Region 2 also report confusion over AFC Polling Agents, although in each case they were eventually admitted to the polling stations. It is unclear who is responsible for this mix-up because the official Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) manual does mention Polling Agents needing a letter, although many Presiding Officers are clearly not demanding this. GECOM Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally addressed the issue at his remarks this morning (see below). GECOM claims that it did not instruct Presiding Officers to require this letter. The bottom line is that this is a limited snafu and will not derail the election. ¶3. (U) GECOM's Media Center is up and running: -- Chairman Surujbally addressed the media and took questions at 11:30 and again at 14:30 from the GECOM media center, which is now operational after hasty construction this weekend. -- Surujbally reported one case of voter intimidation in East Coast Demerara. Police ranks were quickly dispatched to defuse the situation. -- His summary at this point: "All reports to the GECOM Command Center indicate no major problems". -- His next update will be at 18:30 after polls have closed. ¶4. (U) What we will look for during the remainder of the day: -- Will the polling stations have to contend with an unmanageable late afternoon rush? -- Will more serious rumors or confusion about voting procedures arise during the late rush? GEORGETOWN 00000854 002 OF 002 -- Will the streets remain quiet after darkness? ROBINSON