PSC’s election assessment should be viewed in proper context

Dec 12, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has now released its final assessment of the 2025 General and Regional Elections, stating that it found no evidence of state-resource misuse and that the elections were free and credible. While the PSC is entitled to its observations, it is important that the public understands what kind of body the PSC is and how international observers themselves classify it.

At the European Union Election Observation Mission’s (EU EOM) press conference several weeks ago, the Mission was asked directly whether the PSC should be regarded as a civil-society organisation. The EU’s response was both diplomatic and unambiguous:

the PSC “has experience observing elections,” but its “main purpose is that it is a business organisation, not civil society.”

This clarification is crucial. In established international practice, “civil society observers” refer to independent, rights-based, citizen-focused groups with no political or commercial interests. Their role is to monitor elections from the standpoint of democratic participation and public accountability. A private-sector body, by contrast, represents commercial and corporate interests. Its observations may be valuable in their own sphere, but they do not carry the same methodological or democratic mandate as those of civic election-monitoring groups.

In that light, the PSC’s assessment should be understood for what it is: the viewpoint of an important stakeholder in the business community, not a substitute for civic oversight. Guyana still lacks a strong, independent domestic civil-society election observer tradition, and the EU itself noted this gap. Strengthening such participation is essential if we are to build long-term public confidence in our electoral processes.

The PSC’s contribution to national discussions is always welcome, but its findings must be read in the proper institutional context, especially when other international observers have clearly distinguished between commercial bodies and genuine civil-society monitors. For future elections, Guyana would benefit from a broader and more diverse set of independent civic observers whose purpose is explicitly democratic rather than representative of a particular sectoral interest.

Sincerely,
Sherod Duncan, M.P.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

election assessment, Letters, PSC, Sherod Duncan

Latest News