Guyanese are looking forward to free, fair and transparent elections

Jun 01, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

Democracy is the oxygen of society. Without democracy, society degenerates to a state of anomie, and in the words of the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, the life of citizens is reduced to a state where life can be ‘nasty, brutish and short’.

It is in the above context that the announcement by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali to hold national and regional elections on September 1, 2025 within the constitutional timeframe has to be seen. This is indeed commendable and accords with the democratic wishes of the Guyanese people.

The responsibility is now on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to put the necessary mechanisms in place to ensure that the elections are free, fair and transparent. The establishment of a permanent commission and secretariat, along with the introduction of continuous registration, has strengthened GECOM institutionally and its capacity to deliver elections at reasonable notice. The three-month period given to it by President Ali is more than adequate, having regard to the above.

Unfortunately, the previous general elections were marred by a number of unsavory actions engineered by rogue elements within the GECOM Secretariat in collaboration with the then APNU+AFC administration. The hope is that adequate measures are put in place to avoid any such recurrence. The will of the electorate must at all times be the basis of rule, and any attempt to subvert that sacred principle must be dealt with condignly with the full force of the law.

The days of rigged elections and blatant disregard for constitutional rule and the norms of democracy must be condemned to the trash bin of our political history. Guyana in the past has had its fair share of undemocratic rule. It was not until the intervention of the United States and other democratic nations that democracy was finally restored to the country on October 5, 1992 after nearly three decades of PNC authoritarian rule.

Guyanese are looking forward to free, fair and transparent elections. PPP/C General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has welcomed the announcement by President Ali of September 1, 2025 as the date for elections and expressed his confidence that the ruling PPP/C will be returned to office based on its record of having delivered on its manifesto promises to the Guyanese electorate.

The same cannot be said of the APNU and the AFC, which are apparently struggling to form a coalition to contest the elections as they did in the two previous elections. With nomination date just around the corner, the political opposition is challenged to come up with a credible slate to match the tested leadership of the incumbent PPP/C leadership.

Hydar Ally

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