“Not good for democracy” diplomatic corps taking WIN’s concerns over GECOM deadlock “very seriously”

Sep 24, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – “GECOM does need to move forward, because the standstill that they’re in now will prohibit regional elections and local elections from happening, and that’s not good for democracy,” United States Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot cautioned on Wednesday.

Speaking to members of the media on sidelines of the 27th Americas Regional Conference, she said members of the diplomatic community are taking concerns raised by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party very seriously amid the ongoing impasse at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Addressing formal correspondence received from the office of the leader of the opposition, the U.S. envoy affirmed that foreign diplomats across Guyana have received his submissions and consider his concerns valid. She noted that while international representatives engage opposition leadership individually rather than en masse, direct communication with GECOM, the government, and opposition lawmakers remains continuous and close, with meetings scheduled alongside various parliamentary parties. She clarified that while she is not the dean of the diplomatic corps, the U.S. government works very closely with GECOM.

This follows an August 19 press statement from the opposition leader’s office titled “Guyana’s Electoral Institutions at a Crossroads: GECOM, Representation and the 2025 Political Transition.” WIN highlighted that despite emerging from the 2025 general and regional elections as the principal parliamentary opposition force and largest non-governmental party in the National Assembly, aspects of Guyana’s institutional framework continue to reflect an earlier political dispensation. Specifically, the three opposition seats on GECOM continue to be occupied by nominees from the former opposition coalition, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC).

The opposition’s statement detailed that following the 2025 polls, the leader of the opposition sought legal advice on the constitutional requirement for meaningful consultation with non-governmental opposition parties before recommending nominees to the president. On June 30, 2026, Mohamed formally advised President Irfaan Ali to appoint Roysdale Forde, S.C., Siand Dhurjon, and Damien Da Silva as commissioners of GECOM. A follow-up letter was dispatched on August 7, 2026, noting the lack of a substantive response. The presidency has not yet provided a substantive response to the recommendations.

Following stakeholder discussions with the government, opposition leader, GECOM, opposition parties, and civil society, The Carter Center in August 2026 publicly called for the deadlock concerning GECOM’s composition to be resolved. The center expressed considerable concern that without a fully functioning commission, GECOM may be unable to organise local government elections within the statutory timeframe, execute necessary electoral reforms before the next general elections, or ensure that constitutional bodies reflect the current political configuration.

Adding to the operational gridlock is a parallel dispute concerning political field scrutineers under Section 33D of the Representation of the People Act. WIN reported that none of the 69 field scrutineers currently remunerated by GECOM on behalf of the opposition belong to WIN or the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), the two other parliamentary opposition parties. In response, GECOM issued a public clarification confirming it currently pays 69 field scrutineers appointed by APNU+AFC under an existing arrangement for the combined opposition. GECOM stressed that maintaining this payment framework should not be interpreted as a determination that WIN or any other party is unentitled to representation.

Addressing the consultation process for scrutineers, GECOM clarified that Chief Election Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud did not make an adverse finding regarding consultations undertaken by the leader of the opposition. Following a June 3, 2026 letter from the opposition leader submitting proposed scrutineers, GECOM received formal objections from APNU. On June 5, the CEO informed the opposition leader that he lacked statutory authority to determine whether meaningful consultation had occurred, noting that competing inter-party claims were matters for the parties themselves to resolve. GECOM emphasised that under Section 7A of the Representation of the People Act (as amended by Act No. 25 of 2022), the CEO is subject to the direction and control of the commission and cannot substitute his own decisions for that of the commission. Reassuring stakeholders on its legal boundaries, GECOM added that it holds no locus standi regarding commissioner nominations under Article 161(3)(b) of the constitution and cannot intervene in or resolve nomination impasses.

On Local Government Elections (LGE), GECOM confirmed that while its secretariat has prepared a comprehensive workplan outlining operational tasks, the secretariat cannot independently activate or implement the workplan without formal decisions and directives from the commission.

The operational delays compound earlier concerns raised by GECOM Chairperson Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh. In May, Justice Singh stated that GECOM could not move forward with its work, including preparations for LGE originally slated for November, until the new leader of the opposition submitted the names of his nominees to properly constitute the commission. The chair emphasised that she must tread cautiously to avoid legal challenges from excluded parties. However, opposition commissioner Vincent Alexander strongly opposed the notion of existing commissioners stepping down, asserting that the law provides no straightforward mechanism for their removal or resignation merely because opposition leadership changed. Alexander revealed that the commission had not met since September 7, 2025, leaving critical operational decisions unapproved, even as a budget estimate was submitted and approved by parliament.

Administrative strain within GECOM persists alongside the political dispute. During parliamentary budget debates in February, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira confirmed that funds were set aside for LGE within GECOM’s $6.9 billion national budget allocation. However, key administrative vacancies remain unfilled, including the Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO), Assistant Chief Election Officer (ACEO), Legal Officer, Information Technology Manager, Research Officer, and Chief Accountant.

Despite the leadership gridlock, technical preparations have continued. GECOM published the Revised List of Electors (RLE) for public scrutiny from February 7, 2026, across registration divisions and on its website. Additionally, GECOM advertised for temporary trainers to design training materials and prepare polling staff for the local government polls.

Inter-party efforts to resolve the friction directly led to exploratory talks on August 24, 2026, between WIN and APNU. The WIN delegation, comprising Mohamed, General Secretary Odessa Primus, MP, and parliamentarians Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, Natasha Singh, Duarte Hetsberger, and Vishnu Panday, met with an APNU delegation led by Chairman Aubrey Norton, PNCR General Secretary Sherwin Benjamin, Parliamentarians Dr. David Hinds, Ganesh Mahipaul, Coretta McDonald, and Dr. Dexter Todd, alongside Ronald Daniels and Shaneika Haynes. A joint statement confirmed that both sides agreed to consult their respective leaderships on establishing two three-member teams to draft guidelines governing future political cooperation. Agenda items focused on GECOM representation, scrutineer allocations, the ongoing impasse at the Region 10 Regional Democratic Council, and nominations to the Local Government Commission. The meeting was reported as cordial, but no final decisions were taken on substantive matters, and no further meetings have been held since.

Local Government Elections, which establish grass-roots governance across 65 Neighborhood Democratic Councils and six municipalities countrywide, are constitutionally due every three years. With the last local polls conducted in June 2023, diplomatic representatives, electoral observers, and political leaders continue to stress the urgency of resolving the institutional impasse in strict accordance with the Constitution and the rule of law.

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