Should we be concerned that many voters (314,941) did not take part in the 2025 elections?

Sep 27, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

Critics have raised concerns about the 2025 voters list, which includes 757,490 names—more than the total estimated population of Guyana (746,955) as per 2012 census. Residency does not exclude any Guyanese from registering, irrespective where they reside (whether in Guyana or abroad). What complicates the matter further is that voter registration has grown steadily, rising by 15.8% between 2015 and 2020, and another 14.6% from 2020 to 2025, resulting in 96,492 more registered voters since 2020. Despite this huge increase, voter turnout in 2025 dropped numerically by 21,471 compared to 2020.

Of 757,490 registered voters in 2025, 41.8% (314,941) did not vote. But does this necessarily mean voter turnout in Guyana was low? Away from the official voters’ list, if a crude estimate of voters resident in Guyana is computed from the existing population (est. 825,000) in 2025, that will put the number of voting-age population at about 501,600. With 442,549 votes cast at 2025 elections, this means that 59,051 resident voters did not vote. But assuming that 10,000 overseas Guyanese returned home to vote, the total resident Guyanese that voted would be 432 549 (442,549-10,000) which means that 69,051 (or 13.8%) resident Guyanese did not vote and 86.2% voted. The rest of voters (245,000) who did not vote (314,941-69,051) are likely to be living overseas.

Most post 2025 elections analyses have focused on APNU’s poor performance (obtained only 12 seats) which has been partly attributed to low voter turnout among its traditional supporters in Regions 4 (Greater Georgetown. East Bank East Coast) and 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice (Linden).

While empirical evidence on turnout rate did not vary much across regions, it is only Regions 4, 10, and 6 (Corentyne) that show notable differences in the national average voter turnout rate (58.4%). This apparent low turnout rate in the three Regions (4,6,10) was not just because of political apathy—emigration has considerably reduced the number of voters in these areas.

In contrast, Regions 1 (Barima) 8, (Siparuni) and 9 (Rupununi) with majority Amerindian populations that have been minimally affected by emigration, reported a voter turnout above 63%, higher than the national average of 58.4%. PPPC gained some crossover votes in Linden (region 10), but the increase was marginal (1,098 votes); Region 4 provided a significant boost of 6,618 votes for the PPPC, largely attributed to crossover voting according to anecdotal accounts.

The main story of the 2025 elections, however, has been the dramatic rise of a new party called WIN (We Invest in Nationhood) headed by billionaire Azruddin Mohamed, who was able to successfully mobilize the disenchanted, disgruntled, and working class APNU supporters, particularly in Region 10 and Region 4 and who also made significant inroads in Amerindian areas of Region 1, Region 7 (Bartica) and Region 9. WIN captured 16 seats and has displaced APNU as the official Parliamentary opposition.

The PPPC and WIN are expected to continue their efforts to consolidate their electoral support, while the APNU, AFC, and smaller parties face greater challenges in restoring their political viability. But no one must underestimate his opponent!

Sincerely

Dr. Tara Singh

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census, Guyana Elections 2025, low voter turnout, Tara Singh, voters, voters' list

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