Opposition Leader’s concerns about GECOM valid – U.S. Ambassador

The United States (U.S.) Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, said Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed’s concerns about the stalled Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) machinery were “valid” and his missives were gaining the attention of the diplomatic community.

“He’s the leader of the opposition and we take his concerns very seriously and we have, indeed, all received that correspondence, all of the diplomats that I know here in Guyana and we take it very seriously and his concerns are valid,” she told reporters.

Mr Mohamed, along with his father, who is sanctioned by the U.S. and wanted for trial before a Florida federal court for alleged financial crimes, in August wrote to the international community expressing concern about the imbalanced parliamentary representation on the seven-member GECOM following the September 2025 general and regional elections.

The People’s National Congress Reform-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has rubbished calls for its three nominated election commissioners — Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman — to resign because the main opposition party is now Mr Mohamed’s We Invest in Nationhood (WIN).

They said they would step down only if the court rules or the constitution is amended.

GECOM also has not met for almost a year, although local government elections were expected to be held in 2026.

Mr Mohamed is yet to make good on his repeated threats to take the GECOM issue to the High Court to be settled.

A top legal expert in the Guyana government had told Demerara Waves Online News that the only way out to resolving the impasse is to take the matter to court.

The U.S. ambassador, who plans to meet with WIN representatives next week and another opposition party later Wednesday, said envoys were for the time meeting individually with envoys from the American, British, Canadian and European Union here.

She cited the need for the elections commission to forge ahead with its work.

“Absolutely! 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 so there are some really good points in there and we’ve heard that from other opposition leaders as well, other members of parliament,” she said.

The Opposition Leader’s note was dispatched on August 19, 2025 to U.S. Ambassador Theriot, the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett, British High Commissioner Joseph Fisher, the Canadian High Commissioner and the Carter Center.