A/HRC/10/11/Add.2 page 6 5. The Co-operative Republic of Guyana is a multi-party democracy. President Bharat Jagdeo, representing the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), has served as President since 1999 and was re-elected to a second full five year term in August 2006. This election was considered generally free and fair by international observers. The PPP/C has been the majority party in Parliament since 1992. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, as is the Cabinet. Guyana has a unicameral 65-member National Assembly, of which 40 members are elected directly by proportional representation (PR) at the national level. The other 25 members are elected by proportional representation at the regional level. 6. Guyana is a party to six of the seven major international human rights instruments (Convention against Torture, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Convention on the Rights of the Child). It has signed but not ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Guyana has ratified the first Optional Protocol to ICCPR (accession). Guyana is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). 7. In Guyana, the independent expert focused her attention on the relations between, and comparative situations of Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese. The Government encouraged the independent expert to also consider issues facing indigenous peoples which would highlight recently instituted good practices by the Government. She noted the important efforts made by the Government to improve the situation of indigenous communities in regard to health care and education. Since matters relating to indigenous peoples fall within the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples, they will not be covered in this report. 8. The following sections review the relevant history of Guyana and then consider in greater detail the four principal areas of concern of the independent expert in relation to her mandate. Each section begins with a summary of issues raised by civil society actors and community members and then concludes with the responses and views expressed by senior governmental sources on that topic. The report concludes with the analysis and recommendations of the independent expert. I. HISTORICAL CONTEXT 9. An appreciation of Guyana’s history is essential to understand fully the modern country and the relative economic, social and political status of its inhabitants. However, consistent with the ethnic divisions and rivalries which are a feature of Guyanese society, ethnic groups perceive its history and historical events differently and may have distinct readings and interpretations of them. Space does not allow for a sufficiently comprehensive analysis here. However, the following historical overview is based upon historical accounts, including those available on the