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Elections without census results could prove problematic – Hughes warns
Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC) Nigel Hughes
Kaieteur News – Alliance for Change (AFC) leader, Nigel Hughes said Friday that the absence of the results of Guyana’s 2022 National Population and Housing Census could prove problematic as the country goes to the polls.
Hughes said the situation will be an issue for the country after the conclusion of the elections “because if the census contradicts the numbers that GECOM says are eligible to vote, and if, as we say these days, the ‘maths is not mathsing,’ then there’s going to be a real problem, because you may have a result that is then challenged by the publication of the census figures.”
Hughes stressed that although the hour is late, he still believes that the census results should be released as it is of great importance. He reminded the media that the foreign secretary had reported that the country’s Venezuelan population is 100,000.
“We know that the laws allow people who are members of the Commonwealth to vote. We know that there’s one address somewhere on the East Coast near Ogle, that had 120 persons registered at a single address,” he added.
The politician highlighted that these are issues that are still to be addressed by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), yet the country is about to enter another elections knowing a long way in advance what the issues are.
Back in late 2024, the Bureau of Statistics had promised that the preliminary results of the 2022 census report would be released soon. The agency in a statement said that “the soon-to-be-released preliminary report of the census will provide an evidence-based exposition of Guyana’s population.”
Further, the bureau had dismissed claims that the census showed that Guyana’s population declined from 746,955 in the 2012 census due to migration.
The agency also dismissed social media claims suggesting that political interference was responsible for the delay in releasing the results.
The agency stated that any delay in publishing the census results is solely due to its commitment to maintaining professional standards while addressing significant challenges encountered during this census cycle.
“Moreover, censuses across the Caribbean region have been significantly delayed, with countries such as Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, Dominica, St. Lucia and others experiencing protracted census activities extending up to and beyond two (2) years,” a statement from the Bureau of Statistics said.
Several factors including respondent suspicion, apathy and fatigue in a post Coronavirus diseased environment were partly responsible for the delay in the release of the findings.
Further, the bureau reminded that it is a semi-autonomous agency, legally mandated by the Statistics Act (1965) Chapter 19:09 to “collect, compile, analyse, abstract and publish statistical information relating to the social, agricultural, mining, commercial, industrial and general activities and conditions of the inhabitants of Guyana.”
In the execution of its responsibilities, the bureau is also guided by the fundamental principles of official statistics that were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly 10 years ago in 2014. The legal framework and official principles promote and ensure the independence of the Bureau.
“Our work is guided by scientific principles and sound statistical practices that adhere to the highest international standards and conventions,” the Bureau said in its statement.
Accordingly, the census is coordinated internationally and regionally, following agreed-upon principles and practices that withstand scrutiny and promote confidence in the results.
In that regard, the bureau urged Guyanese to avoid baseless speculations and to rely on the official census data and statistics produced and sanctioned by the Bureau of Statistics.
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