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GECOM recruited known PPP backers for polling day – Norton
…says electoral body far from being independent
Opposition Leader and presidential candidate for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Aubrey Norton
Kaieteur News – Opposition Leader and presidential candidate for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Aubrey Norton, has accused the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) of attempting to rig the upcoming General and Regional Elections scheduled for September 1. He also said that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has already recruited known PPP/C affiliates to key polling day positions.
Norton’s claims centred on alleged bias within GECOM, which he says is being influenced and controlled by the PPP. Speaking during a live broadcast on 104.1 Guyana Lite FM with host Bobby Vieira, Norton charged that GECOM is far from being an independent electoral body. He said, “We made it clear that as far as we’re concerned, the PPP is seeking to rig these elections.”
Norton alleged that the Commission has appointed returning officers and polling day staff who are known to be affiliated with the PPP. “The returning officers and poll day workers that they would have chosen, a good 90% of them are known PPP people,” Norton stated, adding that this undermines the Commission’s credibility and professionalism.
He also criticised the selection of the GECOM Chairperson, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, who he claimed was installed with the support of the PPP. Norton argued that this appointment is part of a broader effort by the ruling party to maintain control over the electoral process. “You have the situation where the chairman of the Elections Commission would have been voted in by the PPP, regardless of the nature of the issue, which is also indicative of the fact that you cannot have, you won’t have independent institutions to oversee the elections,” he said, further suggesting that elements within the judiciary are being influenced to favour the PPP.
Furthermore, Norton cited several instances where opposition-nominated GECOM commissioners had their proposals to which they believe will aid in conducting free and transparent elections, were dismissed. One such instance involved the rejection of a measure to ban the use of cell phones in polling booths, a move the opposition saw as necessary to ensure ballot secrecy. “We made it clear that we do not think people should be allowed to take cell phones into the polling booth… They refuse to give biometrics. They refuse to have a clean voters list,” Norton stated.
He warned that any attempts to rig the elections would have serious consequences, stressing, “The government must understand that whatever occurs, they are responsible for it, because they refuse to be reasonable…I think they’re going down the wrong road, and they are putting Guyana in danger. I hope that good sense prevails and they do not seek to rig these elections.”
These concerns were also raised by opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander during a recent interview with Kaieteur News on August 1. Alexander revealed that the Commission had retained legal counsel without informing the opposition-appointed commissioners. He also criticized GECOM’s decision to forgo colour-coding non-resident ballots, a legal provision designed to aid the tabulation process. Alexander warned that the lack of a clear distinction on such ballots could lead to confusion on Election Day.
He also flagged unresolved issues such as voting by incarcerated individuals, noting that the Commission is awaiting advice from Attorney General Anil Nandlall.
Meanwhile, the use of biometric voter verification, a long-standing demand of the APNU and Alliance For Change (AFC), has been ruled out for the 2025 elections. GECOM Chairperson Justice Singh reportedly concluded that while the technology is feasible, it cannot be implemented in time for the upcoming polls. PPP/C Commissioner Sase Gunraj explained that Singh’s decision was based on the need for public consultation and comprehensive staff training on the biometric system.
Regarding the state of the voters’ list, GECOM had recently released its Official List of Electors as of July 2025. In relation to the removal of deceased persons from the list, Deputy Chief Election Officer Aneal Giddings informed the media last June, that more than 1,000 names of deceased individuals have been removed, based on records provided by the General Register’s Office (GRO).
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