International election observers recommend major reforms

Last Updated on Thursday, 4 September 2025, 23:00 by Writer

Though no evidence surfaced that there was multiple voting or voter impersonation despite the size of the voters list-757,690 persons, several international observers expressed concern about the People’s Progressive Party Civic’s (PPPC) abuse of its incumbency.

Head of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), Robert Biedroń said President Irfaan Ali and his administration inaugurated a high number of public projects – hospitals, schools, roads and bridges and launched several social support programmes – combining them with general election campaign activities.

“An undue advantage of incumbency distorted the level playing field during the election campaign…At the same time, the state media and government-run social media accounts were instrumentalised to amplify campaign messages, further blurring the line between state and party,” Mr Biedroń said.

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG), for its part, said it was concerned about allegations of the use of State resources for campaigning,

The COG said it also found that campaign financing rules are outdated and unenforced.

In that contest, the COG recommended the reform and regulation of campaign financing to promote fairness, transparency and accountability.

Touching on the issue of campaign finance, The Carter Center urged Guyana’s leaders to ensure greater citizen access to public information, to reform the campaign finance system, and to work to provide a more level playing field for all who vie for the privilege of representing the Guyanese people.

The Center said Guyana’s legal framework continues to exhibit notable gaps, as it does not comprehensively regulate several key aspects of the electoral process. These include, among other things, the absence of comprehensive and enforceable provisions concerning party and campaign finance, prohibition of the misuse of state resources, media coverage and oversight during election period, and the registration and functioning of political parties.

The Center lamented that it is unfortunate that the 2022 amendments did not address these longstanding issues, despite repeated recommendations by The Carter Center and other international observers. “The reform process thus represented a missed opportunity to bring the legal framework further in line with international standards and electoral best practice,” the Center added.

Cleansing the voters list

The EU EOM , The Carter Center and the Commonwealth observer missions told separate news conferences that there was no evidence that people tried to vote more than once or impersonated others.

However, the Carter Center said in light of persistent questions about the size and integrity of Guyana’s voters list GECOM should take steps to remove the names of persons who died in Guyana and overseas. “It is imperative for GECOM to implement procedures for removing voters who have died within Guyana using the new provisions under the law. GECOM should also look to international experience for removing electors who have died overseas,” the Atlanta, Georgia-based international non-governmental organisation said in a statement.

GECOM, the Center further said, also could consider options for an independent test of the voter list before the next election, which could help identify priorities for future updates and increase confidence.

The COG recommended an enumeration exercise to address perceptions by some of the voters list and the challenges in resolving its apparent inflated nature. The group also called for the collection and publication of the breakdown on the number of women, youth and persons with disabilities. That mission also said that early in the new election cycle, the Commission should consider adopting the use of biometrics to help verify voter identity.

Media

The EU EOM added that the media landscape was highly politicised with many outlets aligned with the government resulting in a disproportionate coverage in favour of the ruling party. That mission also found that campaign coverage in broadcast and print media is largely unregulated, diminishing opportunities for voters’ access to pluralistic information. “Independent journalists were verbally attacked by high-ranking government officials and their followers at public events and harassed on social media for their professional stance and challenging questions,” the EU EOM also said.

The COG, in dealing with State media abuse by the incumbent, said there should be a law to prohibit disproportionate coverage of the governing party by the State media. “We recommend legislation to provide equitable access for all candidates and political parties,” the COG said. That mission said it also noted “with concern” that several members of the private media have reportedly self-censored for fear of victimisation.

That observer mission said it also received concerns about the non-publication of the 2022 population and housing census data. The COG said some stakeholders suggested that the availability of that data might have contributed to improving the perceptions of transparency in the electoral system.

Depoliticising GECOM

The Carter Center, which helped to broker key electoral reforms in 1990, including GECOM’s composition, said the Carter-Price formula of three commissioners each from the governing and opposition parties and the Chairman was “outdated”. The Center said GECOM’s problems include gridlock, polarisation, and dominant political party control, and the omission of most political parties from the process.

The Center pointed out that commissioners are perceived as acting as representatives of their parties rather than working to ensure the rights and interests of all stakeholders. “This leaves other parties without equal access to information about the electoral process and no voice in decisions affecting the process. In short, the structure of GECOM contributes to a lack of trust among some of the political parties and the broader public, signaling that elections are the exclusive purview of politicians and not the Guyanese people,” the Center said.

The COG, in its preliminary statement, recommended a review of the legislation around GECOM’s composition which currently compromises its ability to operate effectively and excludes important political stakeholders from deliberations and decision-making. That recommendation was made against what the COG said were “reports of a significant trust deficit” with GECOM and its impact on the perceived credibility of the conduct of the electoral process. “Several stakeholders expressed concerns about the need for greater transparency in the electoral administration and the level of preparedness of GECOM,” the Commonwealth election observer mission also said.

The EU electoral observers said GECOM’s structure and decision-making remain heavily influenced by political divisions. Commission members often expressed conflicting stances about the election process, publicly compromising an already reduced trust in the institution, they said in their preliminary statement.