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