Election campaign

Jul 07, 2025 Editorial, News

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Kaieteur News – Yesterday, one of the two major political parties, PNCR (APNU), launched its election campaign. We expect the other groups will follow suit in the days ahead as Guyanese get ready to go to the polls on September 1, 2025.

In signing the proclamation dissolving Parliament last week, President Irfaan Ali said that: “Free and fair elections are the lifeblood of a democratic state. The upcoming elections represent our country’s commitment to renewing the democratic covenant between its citizens and government.” The head of state also said that election provides an opportunity for citizens to exercise their democratic right to elect their leaders. “I urge all eligible Guyanese to participate in the upcoming elections, and in so doing, be part of this critical decision-making process of the state,” he added. Ali also said that he was confident in the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) ability to deliver free, fair and credible elections.

Like President Ali, all the other parties have been calling for free, fair and clean elections, even the incumbent PPP/C that has gone to the length to use taxpayers’ money to smear one of the presidential candidates. Mr. Azruddin Mohamed has been a target of tweets prepared by a government-hired lobbying firm in the United States, linking him to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The tweets have come at a time when the PPP/C has intensified the attacks on Mohamed, and their supporters have sought to disrupt his campaign meetings and other events in their communities.

Many commentators have warned against this, noting the negative impacts it would have on the campaign season. Another issue that has raised its head, and may we say has already been a source of concern, is the preparedness of the GECOM. Notwithstanding President Ali’s confidence, for the longest while, the opposition has expressed deep distrust in the commission’s ability to deliver free and fair elections.

In a May 30, 2025 press statement, the APNU had said that it had been preparing for the General and Regional Elections (GRE) 2025 and stated its belief that it will win a “free, fair and transparent” election. “We are aware that GECOM is a compromised institution that is not intent on delivering free and fair elections, and we are preparing to confront the illegalities. GECOM must know we share the views of our Commissioners and that GECOM’s failure to deliver free and fair elections has serious negative consequences. We recommend that good sense prevail,” the coalition said.

According to the party, its decision to participate in the upcoming elections did not ignore the fact that, over the years, GECOM has refused to meet the Opposition’s demands for a clean voters list and the use of fingerprint biometrics at the place of poll, which it opined leaves the upcoming elections highly vulnerable to manipulation and fraud. It posited that the safeguards that ensure integrity can be readily breached, as seen during the registration process, where persons can register without adequate proof of identity, country of birth, and address.

Whatever the issues, our history has shown that, if not all, most of our politicians who call for clean and fair elections have conducted some of the dirtiest political campaigns.  The phenomenon of a clean and fair general election is an oxymoron hard to find in our history. And if they are, their infrequency gives little hope that the next election will be clean and free of rigging. We are neither cynical nor pessimistic, but our history suggests that the ideal is anachronistic. Many believe that elections have been rigged by both of the major parties.

Politics and power carry very high stakes, but for the winner, the spoils are significant. It is the opportunity to place one’s name in the history books of Guyana. For the loser, frustration and vexation are among the unwanted apparel of powerlessness one has to bear.

That said, the people are aware that it is their responsibility to make sure that elections are devoid of rigging, mud-slinging, slander, lies, innuendo, and distortions. This is an uphill task for our politicians, many of whom do not have clean hands and are not paragons of honesty. Some are soiled by scandals, corruption, arrogance, selfishness, greed, vindictiveness and by nasty deeds. However, they often tap into the people’s weaknesses, make empty promises and tend to avoid the truth because it is ugly and unpleasant. Citizens then must be reminded that every ballot cast with that simplest of letters from the alphabet, an X in the right place, is a deed of trust, telling the leaders: do right, do good, do what is truthful, do what is wise and just and clean.

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• APNU, Editorial, Election, Election campaign, PPPC

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