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GTUC wants urgent electoral reforms ahead of 2025 elections
Kaieteur News- The Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) is calling for immediate reforms to ensure that 2025 General and Regional Elections are free, fair, and transparent and conducted in an environment free from corruption.
The union has called for among other things, the sanitization of the voters’ list, the introduction of biometric systems, the immediate release of the 2022 census, and comprehensive reforms to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Additionally, the union through its President Norris Witter has called for a detailed list of all Commonwealth foreign nationals residing in Guyana to be provided. He said the requested data must be broken down by nationality to ensure transparency in the electoral process.
President of the GTUC Norris Witter
Witter at a press conference held Tuesday at the Critchlow Labour College, Woolford Avenue, Georgetown reiterated concerns raised by the GTUC in December about the integrity of the voters’ list, which he said has grown from 660,000 electors in the 2020 to over 735,000 as published in the Preliminary List of Electors this month.
The GTUC president said that PLE was revised multiple times but is deeply flawed and should be cleansed to ensure accurate representation of the electorate. He expressed concerns over the continued lack of transparency regarding the 2022 census, which is yet to be released.
“Where is the 2022 census?” Witter asked while questioning, “What is the accurate ethnic distribution of our population? Why has the government not addressed these important questions?”
Further, Witter pointed to what the union considers to be “troubling information” gathered through its own investigations and that of international partners. He said that there are discrepancies in the PLE and pointed specifically to the Ogle Sugar Estate polling division where the number of voters has increased from just nine in 2020 to 119 according to the 2025 PLE.
Witter said that close observation of the list shows that the majority of the voters share the same address.
“…the same address meaning they are all accommodating not residing, at the same address. They are all males, and their occupations vary, but it is to note that of these 119, the vast majority comprise of labourers. The agency that recruited them from abroad is paying their rent and bills. That agency is the PPPC government,” Witter said at the union’s press conference.
Additionally, the GTUC called on the GECOM to introduce biometrics to enhance the electoral process. Though the union did not elaborate on its reasons, it said that the use of biometrics will aid in the elimination of skullduggery.
GTUC wants urgent electoral reforms ahead of 2025 elections
In November 2024, GEOCOM stated that it is deliberating on the feasibility of implementing biometric systems for voter registration and identification at polling stations.
This follows a study on the use of electronic fingerprint capture, which was presented to the Commission. However, during discussions in November 2024, GECOM’s commissioners were divided on how to proceed. Some felt stakeholder consultations should precede any internal discussions, while others proposed simultaneous consultations with stakeholders.
Ultimately, GECOM’s Chairperson, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, decided that the Commission should first reach an understanding of the system’s feasibility before engaging with stakeholders. She said once GECOM has a clear position, it will consult with stakeholders on whether the biometric system should be introduced.
The Opposition parties have been advocating for the introduction of biometrics to ensure a clean voters’ list and to prevent impersonation ahead of the 2025 elections. The Government, while supportive of enhancing the election system, said it is concerned about preventing voter disenfranchisement.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo emphasized that any decision regarding the system should be left to GECOM, which will ultimately decide on the most suitable approach for the elections.Top of Form
(GTUC wants urgent electoral reforms ahead of 2025 elections)
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