Govt, opposition haggle over GECOM’s readiness for Sept 1, 2025 polls 

May 28, 2025 News

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Kaieteur News- The announcement of September 1, 2025 as the date for Guyana’s General and Regional Elections by President Irfaan Ali has sparked outrage and concern from the opposition-nominated commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The opposition-nominated commissioners argue that the electoral body is not ready and that the president’s decision was based on misleading guidance.

At a press conference held on Monday at Legacy House in South Ruimveldt Gardens, commissioners Vincent Alexander, Desmond Trotman, and Charles Corbin rejected the announced election date, claiming the decision was made unilaterally and contradicted the commission’s work plan.

 

According to Alexander, the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Vishnu Persaud, had submitted a ‘Revised Work Plan’ that identified September 22, 2025, as the earliest feasible date for elections.

“It should be noted that the ‘Revised Work Plan’, as presented by the Chief Elections Officer, established September 22, 2025 as the earliest possible date for the holding of Elections,” Alexander stated.

The commissioners revealed that at a May 20, 2025 meeting, discussions were ongoing about the September 22 timeline, which was not finalised. They said they were shocked when President Ali, during his Independence Day address, declared elections would instead be held three weeks earlier.

Alexander criticised the process, calling it “crass” for the president to act “based on the purported guidance of the Chairperson, which clearly misrepresented the CEO’s projected date of September 22.” He emphasised that even the proposed date “was still under discussion and not yet agreed,” referencing GECOM’s draft minutes from the May 20 meeting.

The opposition commissioner further accused GECOM’s Chairperson, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh, of bypassing the Commission and providing unilateral advice to the president. “This contrived and baseless date is just another instance of the manner of the conduct of GECOM… under the chairmanship of Justice Claudette Singh, in conjunction with the Chief Elections Officer and his cohorts, to wit, the PPP/C-nominated commissioners,” the press statement read.

Alexander also disclosed that a new, hastily crafted work plan had been introduced to accommodate the September 1 date, effectively shortening critical preparatory timelines by 21 days. “A cursory review of that plan suggests that changes have been made to timelines… even statutory deadlines such as the time provided for appeals by parties,” he said.

The commissioners warned that unresolved issues could undermine the credibility of the elections. These include: incarcerated persons’ right to vote, particularly those on remand; removal of deceased persons from the voters’ list; clarification of domicile status for Commonwealth citizens; highlighting of names of overseas-based (and often deceased) Guyanese on the list.

“The election will simply be an unacceptable, illegitimate, and undemocratic process, which should be rejected by the affected electorate,” the opposition warned.

Tensions further flared during a GECOM statutory meeting, where the opposition-nominated commissioners walked out, citing contemptuous treatment. Speaking with Kaieteur News, Alexander said, “They immediately said, ‘Let us discuss the new work programme. I said let’s first discuss the issue and what the chair and CEO did, which was contemptuous of the Commission… They simply said yes [to the President], although the plan we had was more than 90 days. They are contending that it is no problem and not taking the responsibility of treating us with contempt by not allowing the commission to be involved in the decision. PPPC saying that we wasting time, we get things to get done, and in the space of that contemptuous behaviour, we exited.”

In contrast, Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C)-nominated Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, defended the process, stating, “The constitution contemplates the elections to be held in three months or 90 days… GECOM must be ready to hold elections on that day. For the avoidance of doubt, the date for setting an election is the President’s prerogative and no one else’s.”

The Working People’s Alliance (WPA), in a release, echoed the opposition’s concerns. They accused the Chairperson of “tacitly handing over the election process to the president and the PPP.”

“WPA’s conclusion is that she and, by extension, the majority of the commission have committed willful suicide… If the decision on the date is being manipulated to fit the ruling party’s agenda, how would the process and outcome escape that curse?” the WPA statement said.

The WPA urged CARICOM (the Caribbean Community) and the international community to intervene: “These forces owe it to the Guyanese people… Their inaction in the face of a clear and present danger is inexcusable.”

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, when contacted by Kaieteur News, said his party would continue preparations despite the disagreement, “We rely on [the commissioners] because they engage GECOM directly and if that’s the conclusion they arrive at, we will support, but we will continue to prepare for elections.”

However, he expressed scepticism over GECOM’s readiness, “GECOM can never be ready for elections. I don’t expect them to be ready. They haven’t removed any of the problems or issues that caused the problems in 2020.”

Efforts by Kaieteur News to reach Chairperson Singh and CEO Persaud for comments were unsuccessful.

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